Animal Attraction
by EnchantedSailorBella
Summary: Bella is a veterinarian who ran away from the love she knew she couldn't have. Now he's back, and she tries to keep him at arms length, but he's having none of it. But there are other forces at work trying to keep them apart. A/H A/U
1. Surprises

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED! All recognizable characters and plots belong to SM!

* * *

I sat in the break room reading the chart that Jane had just handed me. It was a new puppy. To be specific, it was a Labradoodle by the name Jake.

I always loved getting to work with puppies. It gave me a chance to teach the owners ways to show their dog's the rules without having to be overbearing like when owners brought me their dogs that were more than a few years old and had behavioral problems. I sometimes had to send clients out of the room so that they wouldn't freak out while I pinned their dogs to the ground so that it wouldn't try to bite me while I was doing the exam. I'd rather do that than muzzle a dog, but I'd lost more than one client that way.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It was just impossible to explain to some people that you had to show the dog that you were the alpha and they weren't going to be able to boss you around or get away with whatever they wanted.

Jane passed through the room again, "Ms. Denali and her son are in the room. Do you need me to get anything?"

I nodded, "Get me a stool cup. Wait outside the room. I'll get that out of the way quickly." I got up and began to gather together all the injections that I would need. I took the cup from Jane and pushed open the door to Exam Room 2.

"Good morning. I'm Dr. Swan. How are we doing?" I looked up to see a beautiful woman with strawberry blond hair. Next to her was a little boy with the most stunning shade of copper hair that I'd only seen once before in my life. It belonged to my best friend, or at least he used to be. I hadn't talked to him since High School Graduation. And even before that, things were tense.

I looked at the little boy a little more closely. Green eyes. No, it wasn't possible. I pushed the thought away. This woman's last name was Denali. And I was hundreds of miles from home. He wouldn't have anything to do with this boy. It was simply a coincidence.

I turned and knelt down so I could speak to the dog, "And this must be Jake." The puppy's head popped up at his name and ran over to me, trying to get into my arms so he could lick my face.

The little boy bounced and laughed as he watched the dog assault my face with his tongue. "Well it's nice to meet you too, Jake."

"Sorry," the woman said. "We haven't gotten him into obedience classes yet. He still thinks that he can jump on people."

I shook my head and placed Jake on the tale. "It's really okay, Ms. Denali. I should warn you, though. Labradoodles are very playful by nature. He'll be hard to train because it will be hard to break him of the idea that he's just supposed to play with everyone."

She nodded. I noticed that she was eying me with speculation, but I ignored it. New clients always watched me very carefully. It was actually a good thing. It meant that they wanted to make sure that their vet was giving their animals the best care possible.

I took the fecal loop out of the sugar water and lifted Jake's tail. "What ya gonna do wiff that?" The little boy asked.

I looked up at him, I was used to little kids questioning my every move. "I'm gonna stick it in Jake's butt and pull out some poop."

His eyes got wide, and his mouth opened. I took advantage of his moment of surprised silence and stuck the loop in. I pulled it out and placed it back in the cup. I handed it to Jane before turning back to Jake. "Good sample, Jake."

He was now watching me with a little more trepidation, but he still seemed willing enough to let me pet him. He looked over at the little boy with a 'why did you let her do that' look.

The boy was still watching me. "Why did you do that?" he asked as if he too were able to read the puppy's expression.

"Mason," his mother scolded. "Don't ask her so many questions. She's trying to do her job."

I smiled at Mason. "It's okay. I did that because I need to make sure that Jake doesn't have any worms. I want to make sure that he's completely healthy so you can play with him. It would be a real bummer if he was sick, right?"

He nodded and scooted closer to the table. He watched as I gave each of his shots, asking what each one was and why I gave it to him. I liked when the children were like this rather than running around the room knocking things off the walls. He seemed really into my work. I wondered if he'd be interested in veterinary medicine when he grew up.

"My daddy does this too, onwy wiff peep-oh," he said proudly. He loved his dad. It was obvious.

I smiled down at him, "And do you want to be a doctor like your daddy?"

He shook his head and pointed to Jake, "I want ta wook wiff ami-nohs." He turned to his mother. "Mommy, is daddy comin?"

She nodded and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes. "You and Jake are going to spend the night at his house tonight. I have to go to work when he gets here."

The little boy smiled and looked at his dog, "Did ya heew that, Jake? You get ta see Daddy's house."

Divorced. That sucked. Mason seemed to be dealing with it really well. A knock on the door brought me from my musings. Ms. Denali got up and went to the door. She opened it, but I didn't look up. It was probably the boy's father, and I didn't want to watch them interact. I'd dealt with that enough with my parents.

Mason jumped up and down, "Daddy! Daddy! Doctah Swan says Jake is helphy."

I laughed at his word and finally looked up. I froze and so did he. "Edward?"

Ms. Denali looked between the two of us and turned away, "Figures." Edward turned toward the door as it shut. He looked confused, and I'm sure that I did too.

Mason pulled me out of my daze by pulling on my lab coat. "Doctah Swan, you said you'd show me how ta twain Jake. Wiw you pwease?"

I blinked a few times as I looked at Mason. Then I tried to smile at him. I saw Edward step forward, but he stopped and backed away. I ignored him. "Sure let me teach you a few things."

I sat down on the floor with Jake and pulled him into my lap. Now that I was on level with Mason, I began to display some techniques. "If you stick your fingers in his mouth like this," I pulled back his lips and put my fingers between is teeth at the back of his mouth, "it will make it easier to give him pills, and he'll be less likely to bite you. But," I warned him, "his teeth are really sharp, so you need to be extra careful."

He nodded, so I continued. "Since he's really small right now, if you carry him like this," I flipped him on his back and cradled him like a bay, "then he'll understand that you're in charge. When you do this, though, you need to be sitting down." He was so small. He couldn't have been more than three years old. "If you're standing up, you might drop him, and we definitely don't want that."

I flipped Jake back over, "Finally, when he's sitting in your lap, you take his feet and do this," I put my fingers between his toes. "We don't want him to be afraid of you touching his feet, this way he'll know that you won't hurt him."

Mason nodded enthusiastically. I took Jake off my lap and placed him on the floor as I stood up. "Okay, that's all for today. I'll need you to bring Jake back in two to three weeks for his second set of puppy shots." I wrote down everything that I told him on the chart so that Gianna could repeat it to him on his way out. "You can set that up when you're paying or you can call back later. Just don 't let it get away from you."

I turned and pulled a bag of needle less syringes filled with yellow liquid out of a drawer. I placed them on the counter. "These are for worms. Give him one a day until you run out."

I took a deep breath and finally looked up at Edward. He hadn't bothered to sit down. In fact, he was still standing by the door, just staring at me. "Did you get that, Mr. Cullen?"

Mason laughed as Jake jumped on to him. Edward finally looked away from me and down to his son. His son. Something major that I had missed in his life. I wanted push away the pain I felt in not knowing this part of him, but it wasn't something that I could do. He had moved on with his life, and I wasn't a part of it.

He picked his son up from the floor. "Did you tell Dr. Swan thank you for taking care of Jake?"

He shook his head before looking over at me. His toothy smile was slightly crook, though not as pronounced as his father's. They were going to have to lock girls in their rooms to keep him away. But then they'd have to lock the windows too if he was anything like his father. "Fank you, Doctah Swan."

I watched as he tugged on his father's shirt until Edward leaned forward so he could whisper in his ear. Though, he hadn't learned to whisper yet. "She's pwetty, Daddy."

Then I saw something that I thought I'd never see again. Something I hadn't seen since Junior year. Edward blushed. "Do you know how you say beautiful in Italian, Mason?"

Mason shook his head and looked up at his father in wonder. Edward locked his gaze with mine again. "Bella."


	2. Dreaming of You and Me

Edward looked at me nervously. "I know that we only came as friends, but would you mind dancing with me?"

I smiled up at him. "You're the only one here I would dance with."

He smirked and took my hand. Though it was my favorite crooked grin, it was fake. He was extremely nervous about something. He led me out to the floor and spun me into his arms. I sighed dramatically, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm warning you now, though you should already know, I'm likely to fall tonight. Your sister forced me into these heels, and now, I'm afraid that I'll twist my ankle."

He laughed, though it still didn't sound right, it was better. "I won't let you fall."

The scene shifted, slowly morphing from the prom to graduation. Both were held in the gym so only the decorations changed.

"May I present to you, the class of 2000," the principal said from the platform that had been built by shop class. The air was suddenly filled with graduation caps. I simply took mine off and dropped it. I wasn't in a festive mood. I was just ready to get out of this God forsaken town. I was ready to find a new life away from the pain I'd found here.

I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over to Edward. As to be expected, he wasn't looking at me. He was staring straight ahead, no smile on his face. How long had it been sine I'd seen him smile? Too long. Long enough that I wasn't sure I remembered the exact details of it. I knew it was crooked, but I couldn't quite bring it to my memory.

As I studied Edward, I watched him change. He grew several inches and filled out. The bones in his face became more prominent, and he looked over at me. His eyes pleading with me to understand. To understand what, I have no idea.

"Bella," his voice called to me. I tried to close the distance between us, but nobody would move. I tried to push past them, but they glared at me for trying.

"Doctah Swan, Doctah Swan." I looked down to see Mason tugging on my hand. "My daddy's so sad. I don't know how to make him happy."

I kneeled down and looked into his eyes. They were full of tears. He looked over at his father and one slid down his cheek. I wiped it away.

"I just want him to be happy, Doctah Swan." He turned to me and his green eyes bore into mine.

"I don't know how to reach him, Mason." I looked over at Edward who was still watching us. "I don't know how to help him."

Mason sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, "Wuv him."

My eyes widened and he disappeared. I stood up and realized that Edward and I were the only people left in the room. His eyes still pleading with me.

I crossed the room to him. He opened his arms and I stepped into them without hesitation. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Love me."

I choked on the tears I though had dried up years ago. "I do."_

* * *

_

"HEY! Heroes fall into the ground. Like hell's magnet pulls me down, uh oh on my knees. I try to please."

I groaned and turned over. What the hell was I thinking when I made B-52's Hero Worship my alarm? I dug around for my phone until I realized it was on the other side of the room. Stupid night me who thought she could get morning me up better by forcing me to get up to turn off the alarm clock.

I rolled out of bed. I quickly turned off the phone and went to the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were puffy, and there were slanted tear stains on my cheeks. "Damnit." I'd been crying in my sleep. Only Edward Cullen could bring forth this kind of reaction from me. I hated it. I hated him.

I splashed water on my face, and looked in the mirror again. I thought about the dream. Those pivotal points in my life. Prom had been the last time that it had really been Edward and me. After that night, things changed. He began to avoid me. His sister began to watch us with a sad expression. Now I wish I had asked her what was going on. But I was so upset by the thought of losing my best friend, his sister's knowledge never occurred to me.

Graduation had been the very last time I'd seen him. I didn't see him at any graduation parties, I didn't see him around town, and he wasn't in the group of people who came to the house to say goodbye to me before I left for college.

I went into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. I was going to need it, and I didn't like what Gianna made at the office.

I sat down in my kitchen chair and waited for the coffee machine to sputter to life as I thought of the unexpected person in the dream. Mason. He was such a cute little kid. He was full of energy and love. And he looked so much like his father. Too much like his father. It was hard to see his mother in him at all.

I ran my hand through my hair, it was greasy. I needed a shower. I groaned. I needed a little liquid energy first. As if on cue, the machine spit out the last of it's liquid. I pulled the pot out and poured in half a cup of non-dairy creamer. Then just two drops of almond extract. Then it was perfect. I poured myself a mug and put the rest back in the machine to keep it warm. This was going to be one of those mornings. I could already feel it.

I went upstairs to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I hated living in this house all by myself, but my dad had insisted. He convinced me I'd want the room later. I'd be just as happy in a small apartment. Neither of my parents understood why I'd moved back to Phoenix. Now that my mom lived in Florida and my dad still lived in Washington, they thought Arizona held nothing for me. That wasn't true. I felt comfortable here. I'd spend the majority of my life here, and it more sense for me to spend my time without Edward somewhere I could never imagine him. That worked out well.

I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash out the dream. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get rid of the image of Mason's face, tears streaming down. I didn't know why, but that image really bothered me. I didn't know this kid at all, and yet, his tears broke my heart.

I lathered my hair, trying to draw comfort from the normalcy of the strawberry scent. Trying to massage some reason into my thick skull. But, of course, I couldn't. I couldn't get around the fact that this little boy was trying to find a place in my heart. I found myself wondering if he really would work with animals, what his middle name was, and if he was a Cullen or a Denali.

The final question was easy to figure out. His bounciness reminded me of Edward's sister and his looks were completely Edward. He was a Cullen, there was no doubt about it.

I turned off my shower and stepped out, wrapping myself in a towel. I ran the brush through my hair a few times before pulling it up into a pony tail. The Arizona heat would dry it before I got to work. I looked at myself for another minute. I didn't like what I saw, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was plain, and I had come to accept it in the nearly twenty eight years that I'd been alive. I went into my room and found my scrubs and changed into them quickly. I was running late because I'd spent so much time thinking about the dream.

I ran downstairs, grabbed a strawberry pop tart, threw it in the toaster, and poured the rest of the coffee in a travel mug. I didn't have time to sit and enjoy it. When the toaster popped, I pulled out the pop tart and grabbed my keys, phone, purse, and made a run for my car. It was an old Honda, and it made me miss my truck. It was too close to the ground and looked like it could be demolished if it had been in the accident with Tyler Crowley's van back in high school.

I made it through Phoenix's traffic pretty quickly. I pulled into the parking lot of my clinic and smiled. I still had time to look over the payroll. I glanced around the parking lot. I was stunned. Parked perfectly and looking completely out of place, was some canary yellow car. I couldn't say what it was, but I bet Edward could.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," I told brain. It needed to think of something else.

I walked in and went directly to my office. I placed down my coffee and flipped on my computer. I looked around my office. It still didn't look exactly like my office. It was Dr. Jones' office. He let me keep his books when he sold the practice to me. And it would only take eighteen more years to completely pay it off.

There was a knock on my door. "Come in."

Gianna stuck her head in. I looked up expectantly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but someone in the waiting room asked to see you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Do they have an appointment?"

"Well no," she fidgeted with her hands, "But she's threatening to stay there until you see her. She says that you'll want to see her."

I leaned back in my chair contemplating the possibilities of who it might be. No one came to mind. "Okay, well who is it?"

She looked down the hall, "She said her name's Alice Cullen."


	3. Alice Cullen

I was absolutely floored. "Alice Cullen?" Gianna nodded her head. "Could you describer her to me?" This had to be some kind of joke. Why would Alice be here? Alice and I hadn't spoken since the night of prom when she'd dressed me up to be Edward's date. And even before that we hadn't been close. It had always been Edward and me.

Gianna began to speak, pulling me from memories that would only lead me to think about my dream. "She's extremely short. I mean, not even five foot. She has shocking green eyes. Kind of scary bright, like you'd think she was some kind of modern day witch. Short spiky black hair. And she's pushy."

I nodded. Everything but the hair was Alice. She had been quite proud of her long black hair. Now that I thought about it, with her long back braid, she did look a bit mythical. But then again, all the Cullens did.

Gianna wavered her hand in front of my face. "Dr. Swan? Are you listening to me?" I shook my head, trying to come back to reality. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

Gianna looked rather annoyed. I wondered how long I'd been off in my own world. "Do you want to see her?"

I swallowed hard trying to think my answer through. "If you haven't already put something in the noon slot, tell her she can have it."

Gianna nodded, studying me closely. "Are you sure, Dr. Swan? You're looking pretty green."

I briefly contemplated the idea of saying that I was sick and putting off whatever Alice wanted, but I knew better. It was better to face Alice head on. Putting it off would only make her irritated with my avoidance, and I knew she'd never let me get away with it anyway. I nodded, "Just give her the noon slot."

Gianna nodded and left without another word. Smart girl. I looked at my computer which had completely warmed up during our little conversation. I pulled up the excel spreadsheet and checked everyone's hours was payday, which meant that I'd be here late tonight if I didn't take care of this now. Especially now that Alice had decided that she wanted to barge into my life. I couldn't even imagine why she was doing it now. Why did both Cullens have to decide they wanted to make their presence known in the place where I was trying to forget about them desperately.

Jane came in with a chart, so I saved and closed the payroll. I took the chart from her. The first appointment of the day. I needed to get my head back in the game. There were patients and clients depending on me to do my job well.

With that attitude, I walked into my first appointment, and my second, and my third. Before I was ready, my fourth appointment was coming to a close. That meant that I would have to face Alice. I didn't know why, but I didn't think that I was ready to hear whatever it was that she wanted to tell me.

I finished with baby the ferret, giving the owner laxatone. For a guy who had so many ferrets, he should have needed to be told that his ferret was having a hair ball problem. I walked to my office, laid my lab coat on the back of my chair, and picked up my purse. I'd actually finished with Baby early, but I knew Alice. She'd be here already. She was always annoyingly on time.

As predicted, Alice was bouncing around the waiting room when I left my office. She saw me and her whole face lit up. "Bella! Oh my God! You look so good!" She hurled herself into my arms. I couldn't help but laugh.

I pushed her back to examine her. It was definitely Alice. Even the new strange haircut fit her. I touched it curiously. She laughed, "It got in my way. Did I tell you that I'm designing clothes now. It's so much fun."

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, you have me for an hour. Let's get out of here."

She nodded before grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door. She pulled me right to the canary yellow car. I should have known. "Get in, Bella." She smiled brightly. Obviously proud of her interesting taste of style.

I got in and we sped down the road. I closed my eyes. "Alice," I squeaked. "I haven't been driven by a Cullen in ten years. Could you please slow down?"

"But Bella.." she whined.

I shook my head, still closing my eyes, "Alice, I know you and your brother are speed demons, but the rest of us in the world like the idea of going less than 100mph."

She giggled, but I felt the car slow down. I opened my eyes and noticed the restaurant in front of us. I glared at her. "You're going to drive slower on the way back."

She smirked. "I wouldn't bet on it if I were you."

She hoped out of the car and went into the sandwich shop without looking back. I sighed and followed her. I was feeling better about the situation that I thought I would. I guess her eagerness to see me helped. She hadn't yelled at me, at least.

I stepped inside and saw her at a table already. I went and sat down next to her. We spent a few minutes looking at the menu and made our orders before Alice finally dove into conversation. "I am so excited that we're in the same city. When you graduated and left, I thought I'd never get to see you again."

I scrunched my brow, "What are you doing here, Alice? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's nice to see you. I'm just shocked. We haven't talked in more than ten years, then all of a sudden, I see you and Edward in the same week."

She shrugged, "Long story, short. Edward moved out here for his job. I can work wherever, and I hate being far away from my nephew." She smiled. "He's so adorable isn't he. A perfect miniature version of Edward. If I hadn't helped Tanya through the pregnancy, I wouldn't believe that she was the mother."

"Tanya?" I hadn't bothered to learn Ms. Denali's name, not that she'd offered it.

Alice nodded absentmindedly. "Do you remember Uncle Eleazer?"

I shrugged, "Sure. He wasn't really your Uncle, right?" He was like one of your dad's frat brothers or something like that."

Alice nodded, "Tanya's one of his daughters. Tanya and Edward were basically promised to each other at birth. Carlisle didn't allow Edward to date anyone before he married Tanya. I still can't figure that out." I didn't know why, but it bothered me that I didn't know this. "But anyway, their marriage barely lasted a year. She couldn't stand that his job was so much more important to him than her. They got divorced right after Mason was born. Their excuse for waiting that long was something about not wanting him to be a bastard. It didn't make sense to me, but they both seem happier now."

I took a sip of my coke, "She didn't seem happy to me. She looked pissed to have to bring Jake and Mason to the office."

Alice laughed, "She absolutely hates dogs. She fell victim to Mason's pouting. Now she's trying to convince Edward to keep Jake at his house all the time."

I nodded, "Mason looks like he could pull off the famous Cullen pout pretty well."

Alice bounced in her seat, "I taught him everything he knows."

I smiled, I loved hearing about Mason, but I needed to change the subject. "So, how have you been recently. Any new guys?" I'd noticed a lack of rings on Alice's left hand. She would want a ring if she were engaged or married.

I knew there was an interesting story though by the way that her eyes sparkled. "Well, I was dating this guy named Emmett for a little while there, but it was all wrong. He was huge, like a body builder huge. If he touched me the wrong way, he could break me. We decided that we were more like bother and sister. It was just too weird. He and Edward have gotten really close. They've been really hard on the guy who I'm with right now. I think they'll lighten up once they get to know him."

I grasped on to the opportunity, anything to get away from talking about Edward, "Tell me about him."

She smiled, "Well his name is Jasper Whitlock."

My jaw dropped, "You have got to be kidding me."

Her eyes were huge. "What? Is something wrong with him?"

I shook my head, "No, nothing at all. He and I went to the University of Arizona together. I hadn't talked to him recently. Hadn't realized that he was still here."

She smiled. "So you know how amazingly gorgeous he is. The first time I was him, I thought he was someone that I was meeting about my designs. He was dressed so well, I couldn't believe that he was simply a therapist." I smirked. Jasper had always come by his style naturally. He'd never even bothered to try.

"Anyway," Alice went on. "The jerk I was supposed to meet never actually showed up. But, I thought it was Jasper. So I walked right up to him and said, 'You've kept me waiting a long time.' He looked amused, and swept me a low bow before saying, 'I'm sorry ma'am.'" She fanned herself. "I had never known that a Texas accent could be so hot."

I laughed, "So how is Jasper? I really wish that I hadn't lost touch with him."

She smiled. "He's good. You should come out with us sometime. I'm sure he'd love to catch up with you as well."

I nodded and looked down at the table. Alice put her hand on mine. "What about you, Bella. Have there been any guys in your life?"

I laughed and looked up at her. "Alice, really? I haven't improved much since high school. Guys still don't notice me."

Alice's brow furrowed, "Bella, guys have always noticed you. Edward used to have to practically beat them away. It was quite funny to watch actually."

I pulled my hand from hers, "What do you mean? Why would Edward do something as ridiculous as that?"

Alice studied me with shocked eyes, "You really didn't know, did you?"

"Know what?" I crossed my arms over my chest. If what Alice had said was true, then Edward had a lot of explaining to do."

She studied me, tapping her chin with her index finger. "I can't believe that you didn't know that Edward was head over heels for you. I mean, everyone else knew. Uncle Eleazer and Tanya knew. And she'd never seen you until yesterday. They were all terrified that he'd defy their wishes to connect our families by going after you."

I sat shocked, then shook my head. "Alice, you've lost your mind. Edward was my best friend, that was it. And we weren't even that after Junior year."

Alice nodded. "Mom and Dad saw how hard Edward was falling for you. They both really liked you and hated that their original plan was going to separate you and Edward." She sighed, "They had planned on calling it off."

"But Edward married Tanya," I interrupted. I didn't want to, but I was letting myself get involved in the story. I was letting myself consider the things that she said.

Alice nodded, "The night that Edward got home from prom, Uncle Eleazer was there. Dad had wanted to talk about releasing Edward from the arrangement while Edward was out, but Eleazer refused. They got into a heated debate, and they were at each other's throats for an hours." She wrung her hands as she thought about the night. "Edward couldn't stand it. He didn't want Dad to lose his best friend over something that Edward could change."

She looked down, completely avoiding my eyes, "The next year was hard on all of us. Edward didn't want you to know of his feelings for you. Not when nothing could come of it. And he was afraid to be around you because he didn't know if he could hold back his emotions much longer."

I chewed on my lip. As much as I hated it, this all made sense. I just still couldn't accept the idea that he'd had feelings for me. "How does Eleazer feel about the divorce?"

Alice shrugged, "He wasn't happy, but Tanya was just as unhappy as Edward was, so he accepted it. Though I'm sure Tanya's unhappiness really stemmed from the fact that she knew Edward never loved her."

I rubbed my temple, "Thanks, Alice. I guess I always wanted to know what happened after that night. I always thought that I'd done something to upset him."

Alice smiled sadly at me. "I wanted to tell you. There were so many times that I almost did, but Edward wouldn't let me. He thought you'd be better off if he cut himself off completely."

I clenched my jaw, "I hope he knows how wrong he was. That was probably the worst thing he could have ever done to me."

Alice shook her head, "He probably still thinks he did the right thing. He's always had a problem with thinking things over to a point that nothing really makes sense anymore."

I nodded my head, "I just wish that he would have talked to me. I would have understood. I know how important family was to him. We could have still been friends."

Alice laughed, "You two were never meant to be friends."

I was stunned, "Why not, Alice? He was my best friend. Was there something wrong with me being his friend."

She looked at me softly, "I phrased that wrong. I meant you and Edward were never meant to be just friends. You were two halves of a whole. If it hadn't have been for that argument, you would have been together by the end of the week, probably the end of the night. Edward was working his way up to it. I wanted him to do it at prom, but he didn't want you tho think he wanted you because you'd gotten all dressed up. I think he'd planned on climbing through your window that night and asking you out. Instead, he came home to an argument."

I shook my head, "Alice, you've always been a hopeless romantic."

She rolled her eyes, "Says the girl who's favorite books are Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice. You are just as bad, if not worse, than me."

"That's fiction, Alice," I looked up at the ceiling. "This is real life, and in real life, that kind of stuff doesn't happen."

Alice threw her hands up in the air, letting it fall back on the table with a smack. I jumped and looked at her in shock. "You are both so dense."

I exhaled sharply trying to slow my heart rate down. "Alice, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "What is the likelihood that you two would end up in the same city, both single, and both still have feelings for the other?"

"Alice, I…"

She put her hand up to shut me up. "Don't even try to deny it. I can see it in your eyes." She closed her eyes and muttered. "At least Edward doesn't try to deny it."

She took a deep breath and continued. "Edward's marriage didn't work because he couldn't give Tanya his heart. Someone else already had it."

I just continued to stare at her. My mouth was handing open slightly, and I searched my mind for instructions on closing it. It took several minutes, but I eventually gained enough composure to speak. "Alice, it's been too much time. Our lives have changed so much. I mean, he has a kid. By the looks of it, he's a great father. Starting a relationship with me could ruin the way that Mason looks at him."

Alice laughed, "Not likely. Mason came to my house last night talking about you nonstop. If it hadn't been for Mason, I probably would have found out that you were here. Edward would have just moped around, wishing that things could be different."

The waitress came out and placed our dishes in front of us. I took a bite, trying to find a place in my mind to work out what she had told me. I knew that what she told me about the past made perfect sense. I had thought that we were heading down the path that led to something more, but then he'd done a complete one-eighty on me. Though the past was cleared up, what she was saying now didn't add up. There was no way that Edward could still find me in anyway attractive.

Alice's voice broke into my thoughts. "I know you don't believe me. It's written all over your face."

I sighed, "It's just hard for me to believe, Alice. Why would someone like Edward, who probably has girls throwing themselves at him, want someone like me. It just doesn't make sense."

Alice looked at me with a contemplative expression. She finally dropped her shoulders in a would that would show defeat, but I knew Alice better than that. She wasn't done trying to convince me. "Bella, I don't want to lose you again."

I scrunched my forehead in confusion. "Why would you lose me? We can still be friends, can't we?"

She surprised me by smiling. It was so bright that I almost looked away. "Yes, we can. Will you come over tomorrow night? Jasper and I are babysitting Mason. I have a feeling that Jasper would love to see you again, and Mason would be so excited."

I chewed my lip. I did want to see Jasper again. I had missed him since college. And Mason was full of so much energy that I knew he'd be fun to be around. Alice pushed out her bottom lip and intertwined her fingers in front of her face. I sighed exasperatedly. "Fine Alice."

She squealed and threw her arms around me. I had a feeling that I would regret this, but I couldn't resist the famous Cullen pout.


	4. The Future I Can Never Have

I pulled up in front of Alice's house at about ten minutes till seven. Alice had told me that Edward was dropping Mason off at six, and I didn't want to risk running into him. I wasn't ready for that.

I was barely out of the car before a flash of black and bronze hair knocked me to the ground. "Bella?" Alice giggled as she and Mason attacked me.

A lean form was leaning against my car chuckling. "Alice, the poor girl already has enough trouble staying vertical without your help." He reached down and pulled Alice and Mason off me before helping me to my feet.

I smiled up at him. "Thanks Jazz. I've never been able to convince her of that. In high school she was convinced that she could make me wear heels"

He slung his arm around my shoulder and we all began walking up to the house. "She's stubborn as hell when it comes to the people that she cares about."

Mason tugged on my pants and I looked down at him. He looked up at me with a worried look on his face. I bent down in front of him. "What is it Mason?"

He pointed at Jasper. "He said a bad wood."

I had a hard time holding in the laughter. He looked so serious. This was obviously a very bad thing in his world. Jasper bent down next to me and ruffled Mason's hair. "Sorry kiddo. It won't happen again."

Mason didn't lose his serious and stern look. "Pwomis?"

Jasper lifted hia left hand and put the other over his heart. "I promise."

Mason smiled and turned to run to the house, but tripped over something that I couldn't see before he'd made it five steps. Alice caught him and pulled him up to her hip. The motion looked very practiced. He must do stuff like that all the time.

We all walked into the house and Alice placed Mason on the floor. He went directly to the living room and started playing with the toys spread out across the floor. "Poor kid." Alice said. "He's not yet gained the Cullen grace."

I laughed, "So I take it that happens quite a lot I take it."

Alice nodded, "Edward won't say it, but he thinks that he'll be like you."

"What?" I laughed. "So clumsy that he's a threat to society?" We all burst out laughing. Anyone who knew me, knew that my balance definitely was not my strong suit.

"Bewa?" Mason looked up a me from his toys. "Come pway wiff me."

I walked over and sat down beside him. He handed me Woody so he could play with Buzz. I looked down at the toys in surprise. "I didn't know they still made these."

"Alice laughed, "Do you feel old now? I did. We were in elementary school when those movies were in theaters. They're actually making a third. It's supposed to be in movie theaters soon. We're taking Mason."

Mason wasn't really paying attention to us. He was too busy making Buzz fly. I took advantage of his distraction to study the toy more closely. It didn't look new, but it wasn't worn either. I lifted up one boot to see 'Andy' painted on it, just like the movie. I don't know what prompted me to do it, but I looked under the other boot. There, written in permanent marker, in Esme's writing, was the name 'Edward'. I dropped the Woody doll in shock.

Mason's eyes shot to mine. "You dwopped Woody."

I blushed and picked him back up. "Sorry Mason. It was an accident. I'm a bit clumsy." I didn't know why I'd dropped him to begin with. It shouldn't have surprised me that Edward would pass some of his toys down to his son. It had just been such a shock to his see his name there. To see Esme's writing. It all felt too real. The memories were too close.

Mason waddled Buzz over to Woody and started talking in his best Tim Allen voice. "Buzz Wightning to the wescue."

I laughed and tried to pull a Tom Hanks, but I just couldn't get my voice to do it. "Hey Buzz. Who are you rescuing?"

Mason smiled, obviously happy that I was playing with him. "You Woody. You fehw. We need to get you to the hospitaw. Then Daddy can take care of you."

I didn't mention Mason's slip in character. It was kind of cute. It was obvious that he adored his father. "I don't have time, Buzz. I need help, quick. It hurts bad. Help me, Buzz."

Jasper chuckled behind me, apparently amused by my poor acting. It continued that way for about thirty minutes. I was surprised the attention span that Mason showed. Most kids would have gotten tired of our game.

Around eight, he yawned and Alice spoke up. "Why don't you go put on your PJs, Mason?"

Mason's eyes got huge. He shook his head vehemently, "No, Awice. I want ta pway wiff Bewa."

I ran my fingers through his hair comfortingly. "You can come back down and play with me when you have your PJs on."

He jumped up and almost immediately feel back down. I caught him and pulled him into my lap. My heart nearly hammered out of my chest as I'd watched him fall. He looked up at me with a toothy grin before he got up and headed toward the stairs with Alice hot on his heels.

Jasper helped me up on to the couch and I groaned as I stretched my legs out. "How do parents sit with their children on the floor for hours? My legs are asleep."

Jasper laughed, "I guess they just learn to live with it." He looked at the stairs. "Haven't you ever wanted to be a mother?"

I shrugged, "Not really. They're always drooling, or they have runny noses." I shuddered.

He looked back at me curiously. "You're a vet. That kind of stuff shouldn't bother you."

I closed my eyes and relaxed into the couch. "I don't know why, but it's different."

He nudged me, "You know you're pretty good with kids. Mason absolutely adores you." He sighed. "Wanna tell me why we couldn't tell Mason you were coming until Edward left. Edward would have loved to see Mason so excited."

I groaned, "It's a really long story."

He laughed, "I suppose I could ask Alice. I just figured I'd give you a chance to tell me first."

I turned my head to glare at him. "You play dirty, Whitlock."

He shrugged, "I have to work Alice, somehow."

I laughed, "Good point." I looked him over. "You know, you're probably exactly what Alice needs. She's nothing but energy."

He smiled, "Thanks. Now if you could just convince Edward and Emmett of that."

I nodded my understanding. "I don't know Emmett, but Edward's just being an older brother. Family means more to him than anything. It will just take a little time."

Mason came bounding down the stairs and right into my lap. I smirked when I saw his Finding Nemo PJs. A Disney kid after my heart. He gave me that toothy grin and snuggled into me. I wasn't surprised when he was out less than ten minutes later.

"Okay," Jasper rubbed his hands together. "Now that he's asleep, you're going to explain to me what's going on. I want to be on Edward good side, so spill."

I growled, "Fine." Jasper looked at me expectantly. "Edward used to be my best friend.. Now he's not. End of story."

Alice giggled, "That's not the end of the story. If you don't tell him, I will."

I glared at her, "You know the story better than I do. I've spent the last ten years thinking he was pissed at me."

Alice sighed, "Fine, you tell, and I'll fill in the blanks."

I nodded. I knew they weren't going to drop the subject, so this was probably the best deal I was gonna get. I shifted Mason so I could turn to Jasper. "I moved to Forks, Washington with my Dad after my Mom got remarried. I was about fifteen at the time. Even then, I was socially awkward. I take after my father in that way."

Alice interrupted, "You weren't socially awkward, you were shy. That's to be expected when you move home after fifteen years absence. Everyone gossiped about you. It was disgusting."

I shrugged, "Forks is full of small minded people. Anyway, Edward was the first person to be nice to me. We had nearly all of our classes together. We were both beyond the curriculum of Forks, Washington. We learned that we had a lot in common. We liked similar books and music. We both wanted to go into the medical field, though I wanted to work with animals. We talked about anything and everything." My mind was running over those first few months with Edward. He was the only reason I survived. "Things were great between us for more than a year. Our friendship developed quickly and it was moving toward something stronger, or so I thought."

Alice nodded, "It was. If things had not gone south at home, you would be my sister right now." Her words stung slightly. That was a future that never got a chance, and I didn't want to even think about it.

Jasper leaned forward. "I don't understand. I thought your family was extremely close. What happened?"

Alice sighed, her expression truly sad. "Edward fell for Bella hard. It showed in everything he said and did. Everyone but Bella knew how he felt. Their Junior year, Edward took Bella to the prom. They went as friends, but Edward was trying to figure out her feelings for him. He wanted to be sure that asking her wouldn't ruin their friendship."

I laughed without humor. "That sounds like Edward. He had to be prepared for everything. He never did anything spontaneous. He thought everything through too much."

"Still does," Alice commented. "Anyway, something happened at prom. I don't know exactly what, but he suddenly had hope that you felt the same way." She turned back to Jasper. "He told me that he was going to go back to Bella's house that night. He used to climb her tree all the time. She actually left her window open for him. Chief Swan would kill them if he ever found out why Bella insisted the window stay open even in the winter." I blushed. That would not be a fun conversation.

He turned to face me. "Did you turn him down or something? I don't get it."

I shook my head. "He never asked. I didn't even know until yesterday that had been his intention."

Alice spoke up, "He never got the chance. My father's old Frat brother, Eleazer Denali came over that night. Dad was talking to him about letting Edward out of their agreement, which of course was a marriage between their eldest children. But Eleazer refused. They argued for more than an hour. They weren't quiet, and it was killing Edward. He couldn't go to Bella's house. He couldn't ever be with her, if he wanted Dad to keep his friendship with Eleazer. Dad's happiness was more important to Edward than his own."

"After that," I looked down at Mason rather than Jasper, "He stopped talking to me. He basically cut me out of his life. He grew cold, and wouldn't even look my way during class. I thought I'd pushed him too far at prom. I thought I'd let my feelings show too much, and he didn't want anything to do with me. It wasn't something that was hard to accept. He could have had any girl in the school. Why would he want me?"

"It was the opposite, though," Alice said softly. "Edward cut all of us off from Bella so she could move on. He knew he'd never be able to be around her now without telling her his true feelings. It killed him. I really lost my brother that day. The only time I've seen him acting like himself is with Mason."

Jasper crossed his arms, "This doesn't answer my original question. Why couldn't we tell Edward you were coming. From what I understand, he'd be glad to see you."

I ran my hand through Mason's hair, so much like Edward's. "I'm not ready to see him. I was barely able to function when he walked into my office a few days ago. It just hurt too much." I wrapped my arms around Mason, pulling him closer to my chest. He sighed contentedly.

"Is he spending the night here?" I looked up at Alice. She nodded. "What room is he sleeping in?"

She pointed up the stairs. "First room on the right."

I nodded and picked Mason up and carried him up the stairs. I was very careful to watch where I was going. Now was definitely not the time to have a klutz attack. I reached the room, glad that the door was left open. I gently placed Mason down on the bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. I looked down at him and sighed. He was part of a future that I had lost so long ago. I wanted so desperately to be mad at Edward for taking that future away from me, but I couldn't. I knew how Edward's mind work, and what he did was so typical Edward.

There was a knock on the door. I turned to see Jasper watching me. I gave him a week smile. "You know he's going to tell Edward," Jasper said.

I nodded and brushed some hair from Masons forehead. "And he'll probably say something to me when he brings Jake back in a couple of weeks."

"What are you going to do?" Jasper's voice was soft. It had always been a comfort to have him around when things weren't going right.

I shrugged, "I'm not sure there's something I can do. Choices were made that changed our lives. Now we have to live with the consequences of that."

He sighed and shook his head. "Why are you doing this to yourself, Bella? I think you should just give the guy a chance."

I shook my head. "He doesn't want a chance. He hasn't made any moves to show that he wants one. He's a Cullen. If he really wanted something, he'd go after it." I wiped away a tear that had slipped from my eye.

Jasper nodded and led me downstairs. No one else mentioned Edward the rest of the night. I found that I liked spending time with Alice and Jasper. Though I could see that they were head over heels for each other, they went out of their way to make sure I didn't feel like a third wheel.

I left with plans to do it again next week. I had to admit, I wanted to see Mason as much as I wanted to see Alice and Jasper. I must be turning into a masochist. That's the only way I can explain waiting to put myself in so much pain.


	5. No Good Deed

Two weeks passed far too quickly. I was sitting in my office, hiding form the inevitable. Jane would soon bring me Jake's chart and I'd have to face Edward again. During the week, he'd apparently come by to change all the information so that he was now the owner. I was luckily in with a patient and didn't have to face him. Now there was no way out.

I had gone to Alice's again last week to help her babysit Mason, and intended to do it again in two days. There was no way that he didn't know about it. Mason surely told him after the first time. He's too much like Alice to be able to keep a secret.

"Dr. Swan?" Jane popped her head into my office. I looked up to see her holding a chart out to me. "Your next appointment's in the room." She smirked at me. "He's a cutie. Do you need help?"

Her attitude bothered me, even though I had no right to be bothered by it. He was a hot single man. There was no way I could stop women from ogling him. I shook my head. "Just keep near the door in case I need you. It's not likely, though. Jake is a good dog."

She pouted, but I couldn't be convinced that way. Alice and Mason had made me immune to everyone else. She turned and walked away as I studied the chart. All the information had been changed. Edward Cullen. Spouse: blank. Address:2005 Twilight Dr. That wasn't far from me. I felt like such a stalker, but I couldn't stop myself from learning what I could about him.

I exhaled and stood up. There was no way I could avoid it now. I left my office and prepared all the injections that I could need.

I stood on the other side of the door for a moment trying to prepare myself. I heard Mason's laugh and I smiled. Jake was Mason's dog. I needed to get in there for Mason.

With new resolve, I opened the door with a smile on my face. "Good Morning."

Both Mason and Edward looked up at me. Of course Jake came bounding toward me. He stood on his hind feet, putting his right front paw on my leg. He was panting as he grinned up at me. I leaned down and picked him up. "And good morning to you, Jake." I put him on the table and was assaulted by his tongue.

"Bewa! Bewa!" Mason was tugging on my lab coat. "Jake is so big!"

I laughed and ruffled his hair, "Yes, he's getting bigger quickly. He'll probably be bigger than you in a few months."

Mason gasped and looked at Jake with huge eyes. "Is he going to get bigger than Daddy?"

I let my eye wander to Edward for a few moments. I refused to look him in the eyes. I wouldn't be able to form complete sentences if I did. "No, honey. He'll be smaller than Daddy."

"That's good," Mason sighed.

I turned my attention back to Jake. He really had gotten big. He'd more than doubled in size. That was normal, though. I checked all areas, mouth, ears, nose, and eyes before getting to the injections.

"Have you been doing those exercises with Jake, Mason?" I asked as I scratched behind Jake's ear. I wanted him to know he'd done a good job for allowing me to do the first part of the exam with out any trouble.

"Yup," Mason said with his toothiest grin. "Daddy helps me, though, cause Jake doesn't wike to be hewd upside down. He wiggwes and twies to get away."

I nodded and reached for the injections. "Good job, Mason. Remember to always ask for Daddy's help. That way there's not even a chance you could hurt him, okay?"

Mason agreed quickly. I began to give Jake his injections explaining what each one was as I went along. This part of the exam never took more than five minutes. It was helpful that Jake did nothing more than whimper when I poked him.

"Okay," I turned my attention to Edward. I needed to be professional. That meant I needed to make sure that he knew everything. I couldn't afford to leave out something and have Jake end up in a bad situation. "He's going to have a lump here and here. If it gets any bigger than an olive, bring him in. He will also have a fever. If he has any sort of reaction to the vaccines, they should happen in the next hour. Right now, his adrenaline is running really high preventing any reactions. Just watch him for a while when you get home." Again, I made sure to get all this information on the chart. Gianna had trouble remembering to tell these things if I didn't write down every word.

"For his third set of puppy shots, you need to bring him in about three to six weeks from now. Set that up with Gianna."

I looked up at him, right in his eyes. Big mistake. His eyes were so green, bright emeralds, but they'd been dulled sine I'd known him. He'd lived through so much. He'd had a failed marriage with a child. He'd thrown away what we both wanted in hopes of making his family happy. The eyes that I loved had grown deep with age and knowledge that he shouldn't have had with only twenty seven years of life.

Though his eyes seemed sad, I could see it in the back. Hidden by everything that had happened, was the light that had belonged to my Edward. I took a deep breath, suddenly aware that I hadn't breathed since I'd looked up at him.

"Bewa!" Mason was tugging on my lab coat again. I looked down, relieved by the distraction. "Aw you coming to Aunt Awice's house this week?"

I smiled down at him. It amazed me that this little boy could want me in his life so badly. "Of course I am, Mason. Maybe we can watch Toy Story before you go to bed."

He gave me that crooked toothy grin that sent warmth to my heart. I lifted Jake from the table and placed him down next to Mason so he could play with him. I looked back up at Edward, determined to get through this appointment. "Do you have any questions?"

"Are you avoiding me?" Edward leaned forward over the exam table so he could see into my eyes more clearly.

Yes. "Questions about your dog, Edward." Shoot, Mr. Cullen. He's Mr. Cullen in here.

He ignored my question, leaning closer, his sweet breath sweeping across my face. I grasped the exam table, afraid that my knees would give out. "Are you avoiding me, Bella?"

I was caught in his eyes again. The spark of my Edward was closer to the surface. Even diluted with sadness, I was mesmerized by that spark. My will was breaking. I couldn't let him do that. I swallowed hard, "Mr. Cullen. If you don't have any questions, then we're done here."

He leaned away from me slowly. Something flashed in his eyes, but it wasn't the spark that I loved. It was anger and fear that he'd developed during the time of our separation. "I suppose your right. Thank you, Dr. Swan." He picked up the leash and attached it to Jake's collar before leaving the exam room.

I was both pained and relieved to see him go. I couldn't let myself get involved with him. I knew it would only lead to more heart break, but my heart didn't want to recognize that. It wanted me to go out to the front desk and tell him how it felt. I instead let my head take over. My heart was just confused by that tiny spark in the back of his eyes.

I pushed all thoughts of Edward away so that I could get through the rest of my day.

I was glad to see that the day passed quickly. I was exhausted from the restraint that I'd forced on myself in Edward's presence. Now, all I wanted to do was go home and slip into bed.

I stepped out of the clinic, and turned around to lock the door. I had sent Gianna and Jane home earlier while I finished up some paperwork in my office. As I placed the key in the lock, I felt something hard press into my shoulder blades.

"Give me the cash box, shugah," said a deep husky voice. He pushed the object between my shoulder blades hard into my skin. The shape of the tip made me think it was a gun, but I didn't want to turn around to check.

"It's in my bag," I stuttered out. I was trying to give in easily. If he took the cash box, he'd leave and I'd only have to worry about the $732.84 that had been in the cash box. It wasn't a big loss, especially if I had the people who wrote checks today cancel them.

The man who stood behind me reached into my bag and pulled out the metal cash box. I was sure that he was going to leave, but I was wrong. He pressed his chest against my back, forcing me against the door. The hand that held the weapon slipped around my chest. It was definitely a gun. He licked my ear, "You're pretty, shugah."

I shuddered and tried to hold back tears as I tried to remember what my father had taught me about self defense. Why did I stop carrying that pepper spray?

He drew me out of my thoughts by biting down on my neck. "You taste fucking good too. Just like shugah."

My breathing sped up and I couldn't stop the tears as they fell from my eyes. I could tell that he wasn't a weak guy. One of two things was going to happen now. Either he was going to kill me or he was going to rape me. Maybe he was going to do both.

He slipped the gun lower. He let the tip slide under my scrub pants. I choked as the cold metal touched my skin. "You're so small," he mused. "And so soft." I could hear the hunger in his voice, and I shivered with fear. "You'll feel so fucking good around my c…"

His words were cut short and his body slid down mine until he was no longer touching me.

I heard the cash box hit the ground, and I spun to see what had saved me. Edward stood behind me with the most murderous expression I had ever seen. He looked like the angel of death. He had a car jack in his hand and was clutching it for dear life.

I looked down to see my attacker out cold, cash box about a foot from his hand. I'd barely registered all of this before I was yanked into Edward's arms. He held me tightly, stroking my hair.

I didn't think. I just reacted on instinct. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his chest. Then I let everything out. All the fear and relief hit me hard, and I was sobbing into his chest.

I don't know how long we stood there like that, but eventually I heard sirens and tires in the parking lot. I looked up to see the police and the ambulance. I looked down and my attacker was still unconscious, though he was still breathing.

"Miss?" a police officer approached us hesitantly. "Could we talk to you for a moment?"

I looked up at Edward for a moment. He was watching me intently. I could tell that he didn't want to, but he loosened his grip so I could follow the police officer. Edward was quickly surrounded by other officers and cuffed. "No, wait." I grabbed one of the officers, "What are they doing?"

The officer looked over at Edward. "They're taking him in for questioning, ma'am. He nearly killed that man."

I felt anger build in my veins. "To save me. That man was going to rape me, or kill me." Or both, I added mentally. "If Edward hadn't showed up, he would have succeeded. You can't arrest him for saving my life." I looked back at Edward, he wasn't even struggling. He just let them lead him toward the cop cars.

"Sorry, miss," the police officer broke into my thoughts. "We'll try to get this figured out as quickly as possible. Until then, it's just best to for both of you to cooperate."

I nodded and followed him. If Edward could handle this so calmly, then so could I. I just needed to get through the questioning. Try to prove Edward's innocence. That was all that mattered right now.

I looked up and froze. In the gas station parking lot across the street from my clinic was a silver Volvo with a flash of copper in the front seat. "Mason!"

I ran across the street, not bothering with the police officers hot on my trail. I had to get to him. He'd seen the whole thing. He would be so scared. He'd watched his father attack another man and then be cuffed. I needed to get to him.

I got to the car and tug on the handle. It was locked. Probably a child saftey lock so Mason wouldn't wonder off. Damnit.

A police officer grabbed my upper arm and yanked me from the car. "Miss! You could have been killed."

I didn't care. I pointed to the care, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks. "Mason," I choked. "I can't get him out."

The police looked down into the car and relaxed his grip on my arm. "Is that your son, ma'am?"

I shook my head furiously and pointed toward the parking lot. "Edward's son," I whispered. "I need to get him out."

I must have looked crazy, but didn't care. Mason was locking in the car, and the longer I took, the more scared he'd get.

The cob grabbed his little walkie talkie on his uniform and began to talk to someone in my lot. "Victim is trying to get child out of car. Does the suspect know anything? I winced when he said suspect. Edward was not a suspect. He'd saved my life.

The little device crackled. "He says it's his son. Someone will bring his keys and he says to leave the child with Bella."

"Who's Bella?" the police officer asked.

"I am," I choked out. It bothered me slightly that he hadn't even bothered to try to soothe me by getting on a first name basis with me. Calling me things like Miss and ma'm and victim surely didn't help.

Someone came over with a key and unlocked the door for me. Mason practically feel into my arms. His face was wet with tears. I kissed his cheeks and held him tightly. I lifted him onto my hip and tucked his head into my shoulder where he continued to cry.

Another police officer approached me. He was younger than most, and he looked at me with genuine concern. "Miss.." he trailed off waiting for me to fill in the blank.

"Swan," I said. Now that I had Mason out of the car and in my arms, I felt much more relaxed. "Dr. Swan."

He smiled at me. He seemed nice enough. "Dr. Swan, my name is Benjamin. Could you come with me, please? We want to take you down to the station and ask you a few questions."

I clutched Mason to me more tightly. I wasn't sure how to voice my concerns, but Benjamin seemed to understand. "You could bring the child with you. Hopefully we can get this worked out so that his father can go home soon."

Relieved, I followed Benjamin. He led me to a police car and helped me in so that I didn't let go of Mason.

"Bewa?" Mason's cries had softened into small hiccups.

I pulled him back so I could look into his green eyes. There was a hint of blue that showed his mother. I pushed back a bronze lock, "What is it, honey?"

"What's gonna happen to Daddy?" He looked up at me with all the trust in the world. It pulled at my heart.

I leaned forward to kiss his forehead. "Nothing's going to happen to him, Sweetie. He's going to be just fine, I promise."

He nodded and then leaned back into me again. Snuggling as close as he could get. Less than five minutes into the drive, he was asleep. I relaxed. Now I just needed to get Edward out like I promised.


	6. Want You to Want Me

It had been four long hours. I had answered all of Benjamin's questions. He tried to be gentle when he asked about the details of the attack and I was truly grateful for him.

Mason slept in my arms the entire time I was being questioned. Another thing I was thankful for. Although he probably wouldn't understand them, I didn't want him to know the details. All I wanted him to know was that his father had saved my life, that he truly was the hero he thought him to be.

The questioning had only taken about an hour. I had spent the last three hours waiting for them to release Edward. When Benjamin released me with an offer to drive me back to my car, I told him I wasn't leaving without Edward. He seemed to understand. He told me to wait in his office and he'd try to speed up the process.

Luckily, Benjamin and his wife Tia had a little boy, so he had toys and coloring books stuffed in his office. He offered them to Mason as a distraction which I was again thankful for. Mason had woken up not long after my questioning and he seemed fully revived.

I watched him take a blank piece of computer paper and begin to draw. His forehead was puckered in concentration as he drew something like a house, three stick figures, each smaller than the last, and what I assumed was a dog. It wasn't anything worthy of an art museum, but it was definitely fridge worthy.

He held it up for my inspection. "That's really nice, Mason. Who are the people?"

He pointed to the tallest first, "This is Daddy," he moved to the smallest, "me," and then to the last, "and you. This is Jake, and this is Daddy's house."

I gave him a weak smile. After what happened today, there's no way the idea behind his drawing would come to be. First, I'd pushed Edward away during his appointment. I'd been so scared to allow him in that I had pushed him out the door and might as well have slammed it in his face. Then he saves my life, only to end up in jail. I wasn't worth the trouble he'd dealt with. I knew it, and he probably did now as well.

The door opened, and Benjamin and Edward walked in. Mason shot up, "Daddy!" He started to run, but tripped. I caught him and picked him up.

Edward stepped forward and wrapped his arms around both of us. I wanted to memorize the feeling before I lost it forever.

I'd realized it when he'd pulled me into his arms earlier. I'd felt safe and loved. I was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. All the fears of him leaving me again seemed unimportant. They were still there, but I wanted to enjoy any time with him that I was granted.

"Daddy," Mason brought us all back to reality. Edward loosened his grip on us enough to look down at his son. "You wanna see the picsha that I dwoo?"

Edward smiled, "Sure, kiddo. How 'bout you show it to me in the car? I want to get the Volvo so we can get home."

"Okay," Mason seemed to have forgotten all the events of the afternoon. He had his daddy and he was happy. I let him down so we could all gather our stuff together.

Benjamin drove us all back to my clinic so that we could get our cars. Benjamin handed me the cash box. "You just be more careful now Dr. Swan."

I smiled at him. I had really come to like Benjamin. When the others had been impersonal and inconsiderate, he had gone out of his way to make me comfortable. "Thank you, Benjamin. Don't be a stranger. I'd love to meet Tia some time. Maybe your little one too."

He nodded, "We're thinking about getting a dog. Maybe we'll be bringing it by for you to see soon."

I smiled and we all got out of the cruiser. I pulled out my keys and turned for my car.

I tried to walk toward it, but I couldn't move. I turned to see Edward with a handful of my scrub top. He raised an eyebrow at me, that crooked grin displayed well on his face. "You don't really think you're going home, do you?"

I huffed, "Of course I do. It's been a long day. I need something to eat and some sleep."

Edward smiled and looked down at Mason. "What do you think, Mason? Should Bella spend the night at our house?"

Mason clapped and jumped in a way that reminded me way too much of Alice. "Yay! Sweep ovah. Bewa sweep ovah!" He smiled up at me.

I glared at Edward. "You play dirty, Cullen."

He smiled, aware that he'd won. He pulled me to the car, buckled Mason into his car seat and held the passenger door open for me. I slipped in, used to his gentlemanly behavior. It had once bothered me, but I'd gotten over it. Even came to like it at one point. It was awkward at first, but then I grew to enjoy being treated like a lady.

The drive to his house only took fifteen minutes. Even still, it was out of the way. The Cullens had always like their privacy. I looked up at the beautiful white house. It was so familiar. So much like their parents' house. Back in Forks.

I waited in the car while Edward unhooked Mason's car seat. Old habits die hard. Edward always made me wait for him to open my door. Today, I was extremely glad that I had. Mason helped his father open my door.

"Why thank you," I said as I got out and picked Mason up. What was it about this kid that had him so firmly wrapped in my heart?

He gave me his toothy grin. "Weh-come." Then he did the unthinkable. He kissed me on the cheek.

I blushed and Edward chuckled. "Okay, kiddo. That's enough dazzling for one night." He took him from my arms. "It's time for bed."

I looked up at the sky. It was nearly 9 o'clock. It had been a really long afternoon. I was exhausted and knew that even with his nap, Mason would be too.

Edward carried him up to his room and gestured for me to get comfortable in the living room. I watched him ascend the stairs with Mason's head lolling on his shoulder. He was probably an amazing father. Mason obviously loved and adored him. And it was obvious that Edward felt the same way about his son.

His son. The thought hit me again. It bothered me too much. Mason was an amazing kid. I absolutely adored him. I didn't want him to be any different. That was a lie. I wanted him to be mine. I'd never wanted children before. But I wanted Edward's children. It was so different.

I heard footsteps and Edward's voice. I must have been off in my own little world for a while. He sounded agitated. I wondered who he was talking to. I looked around the corner and saw him moving around the kitchen.

"No, Tanya," Edward exhaled. "Mason was never in any danger. I locked the doors. He couldn't get out and no one knew that he was there." He paused, listening to the person on the other end as he rummaged through the cabinets. "I couldn't let anything happen to her, you know that." He sighed as she spoke. "I know, Tanya, and I'm sorry. I can't do it anymore. I will not lose her again."

His words were forceful and struck my heart. I actually stumbled forward, nearly falling onto the floor. Edward quickly spun to catch me. It was interesting. Even after all these years, he still seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to me.

He looked me over. Clearly, I'd been caught spying. "Tanya, he's asleep right now. It's been a long day and I'm tired. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

He sighed after a few moments and pressed the end button. "I think that there's a lot we need to talk about. But first," he turned back to the cabinets, "We need to find something to eat."

I nodded and waited as he began to pull down two bowls of ez mac. I started to laugh. "Please tell me that's not what you're living off of these days."

Edward gave me a sheepish smile. "Not exactly. We have ramen noodles, bowl appetites, and I have Kidz Cuizines in the freezer for Mason."

I shook my head, "Esme would have a heart attack if she found out about this."

He glared at me playfully, "Which she won't. There is no reason for her to find out that her 27 year old son is living off of preprocessed and prepackaged food."

I rolled my eyes. "You're supposed to be the doctor."

Edward made the ez mac and we both sat down in the living room with our little bowls and a fork. The silence set in, and I knew what was coming.

Edward sighed and put down his bowl. "Alice says that she told you everything."

I chewed on my bottom lip. "I think so. There are still some things that I really don't understand." He nodded for me to continue. I took a deep breath. "I guess, I just don't really understand why. Why did you cut me off, Edward? You turned my whole life on it's head. You could have told me that we could only be friends. I would have understood that. I just couldn't hand-"

My words were cut off by Edward's lips crushing mine. It wasn't just the contact that shocked me. Eectricity jolted through my veins. The kiss was no more than our lips pressed firmly together, and yet I could feel it all the way in my toes. He disconnected our lips, leaning his forehead against mine. "That," he breathed out, "is why we couldn't have been friends. I would have gone back on the promise that I had made."

I closed my eyes and relaxed as his fingers messaged my scalp. "You should have given me some kind of forewarning, an explanation, something. Anything would have been better than the way you handled it."

He sighed, "I was seventeen. I made a mistake. I thought I knew what was best. I was trying to protect both of us."

I opened my eyes, and was met with the beautiful emeralds that I loved. "Where do we go from here, Edward?"

He laughed. It was like he'd been holding his breath. "I'm not sure I know that I can live without you any longer." His fingers stopped massaging my scalp and moved to caress my cheek. I leaned into his touch. "I've become oddly selfish over the past few years, and I want you."

I watched his eyes cautiously. I'd made my decision this afternoon, and there was no turning back. I just wanted to see my Edward in his eyes. I knew he was in there somewhere, still buried under all those years of unhappiness, but the spark of life was getting so much closer to the surface.

I reached up for his hand on my cheek and intertwined our fingers. I took his hand and placed it over my heart. "You have me."

The spark that was hidden to most flashed brightly in his eyes. He cupped my neck with his other hand and pulled my face forward, placing a much more passionate kiss on my lips. Hie sucked my bottom lip into his mouth and ran is tongue across it. The sensation sent an unexpected jolt through my body. I thrust myself at him, knocking him over so he was lying on the floor with me on top of him.

We both burst into laughter. "You know," he said, "I've heard of death's kiss but it appears that you may possess it."

I slapped his arm playfully, and giggled, "Eleven years of pent up sexual tension, and you expect me to sit and take your kiss like a lady."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, holding me as close as he could. It felt perfect just having him hold me. But, of course, there was no way that such a perfect moment would last. My phone started to ring frantically. I groaned and wiggled out of his arms.

I went to my purse and took out my phone. Alice. Figures. I hit the answer button. "Hey, Alice."

I heard her sigh with relief. "Bella, are you okay? I've been having this strange feeling all day. And I went to your house, but you're not there. I was really starting to get worried."

"Alice, I'm fine." Edward had righted himself on the floor and was watching me talk to Alice.

"Then why aren't you home?" She sounded like a petulant child who'd been denied some kind of treat.

I went to sit on the couch, Edward began rubbing my calves from his spot on the floor. "Because your brother and nephew wouldn't let me." Edward smirked and held out his hand for the phone.

"Are you with Edward?" Alice sounded intrigued. She knew I'd been avoiding him.

"Yes," Edward held his hand closer to the phone, waiting for me to hand it over. "And he wants to talk to you."

"Oh, good," Alice said. "Put him on."

I handed the phone over. Edward placed it against his ear and sighed. "Good evening, Alice." He continued to massage my calf as he spoke. "Yes, something did happen, and we'll tell you about it later. Right now we're both tired. It's been a very long day and I just want to go to bed." Edward blushed while Alice spoke. I laughed, "That wasn't really part of the plan. I figured I'd give her the guest room." The comment made me blush. I understood what Alice had asked me.

He sighed, "How about we discuss this later, Alice? It's a rather long and involved story. I'll come over early when I drop off Mason. We can discuss it then." Alice must have agreed, even though I knew she wasn't happy about it. Edward said his goodbyes and hung up before handing me back my phone.

I took it and looked down at him. He hadn't bothered to get off the floor yet. "Edward?" He looked up at me. I reached out and ran my hands through his hair. He really did look tired. "Why is it that you have Mason so often?"

He looked back down. "Tanya and I have had many disagreements when it comes to Mason. I think that she's gotten to the point where she just wants me out of her life." I continued to run my fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp as I went. "When she gets fed up with me, she talks about just leaving him with me. For some men, that would be a threat. With me, it would make my life nearly perfect. I hate the time that I can't be with him."

He looked back up at me, worry clearly displayed in his eyes. "That doesn't bother you, does it? I mean, always having him around. I thought that you really liked Mason. I mean, you ran across a busy street to get him out…"

"Shh," I placed my fingers over his lips. "No, it doesn't bother me. I care dearly for Mason." I watched his eyes and posture relax. "I just found it strange. When my parents divorced, I never spent more than a few months a year with Charlie until my sophomore year."

He nodded, looking up, hope etched in his features. "So, it really doesn't bother you that I have a son who's a major part of my life."

I studied his face, "I'm going to be honest with you. There is something about it that bothers me." I could tell that he wasn't breathing. "It bothers me that I didn't know. I guess that all goes back to you cutting me out of your life. I don't like feeling like a stranger in your life."

He exhaled and closed his eyes, "There will never be a day that I don't regret that." He moved to kneel in front of me, cupping my cheek in his hand. "Will you give me a chance to change that?"

I touched his hand as I leaned into it. I smiled at him. "It's not really like I have a choice. With you, Mason and Alice in on this I'm stuck. Three Cullens are too hard to resist."

He laughed and leaned forward to capture my lips.


	7. Trying

I spent that night in Edward's guest room. We still hadn't defined our relationship, but we had set boundaries. We both agreed that we'd gauge Mason's reaction to everything before we advanced.

Edward had taken me to work, promising to see me the next night. We decided we'd face Alice together. We had to tell her about the incident at the clinic as well as our decision to try to start something between the two of us.

I must have had a big goofy smile on my face, because Jane pounced as soon as I walked through the door. "Car left in the parking lot over night, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, and slightly late to work. Why Dr. Swan, are you taking the walk of shame?"

I rolled my eyes. "I spent the night at a friend's house. I was attacked yesterday and he didn't want me to be alone. It was rather silly, but he's always been overprotective." I had mostly told her the truth. I was such a terrible liar that it was best to keep as much fact as possible.

"When were you attacked?" Gianna was standing in the doorway, looking at me in shock. She held a chart in her hand, so I must be later than I thought.

"When I was leaving last night." I stood up and took the chart from her. "I don't want any girl leaving alone anymore. If you're going to the parking lot, do it as a group. That shouldn't really be a problem sine we usually leave at the same time."

Jane and Gianna nodded, both watching me carefully. They seemed shocked, more so than I had been. I looked up at them and smiled. "Everything's fine guys. No one but the guy who attacked me walked away with injuries. Trust me. I just want us to be a little more careful."

* * *

The time that I spent without Edward and Mason passed slowly. I was tempted to call Edward and ask to see them, but I didn't think that would be the smartest idea. I needed to be slightly stronger than that.

Of course, when Edward rushed to my door before I came to a complete stop at Alice's house, I knew he'd missed me just as much as I'd missed him. He opened my door and pulled me into his arms. I relaxed happily falling into my home.

"Edward!" Alice called from the door. "I understand that you're excited to have Bella back in your life, but you are by now means allowed to hog her."

Edward chuckled and pressed his lips to my hair. Then he took my hand and we made our way back up to the house. "Sorry, Alice. But I think that I have every right to hog her. If I remember correctly, she was my friend first."

Alice stuck her tongue out at her brother. Then she took my free hand and dragged me away from Edward. She plopped me down on the couch and sat next to me. "Okay. We have an hour before Edward has to go to work. That means that you two need to spill."

Edward sat in the chair closest to the couch since the couch had somehow filled up. Jasper was sitting next to Alice and Mason was trying to crawl into my lap. I kept my gaze on Edward, though I spoke to Alice. "how much do you know?"

She huffed, "There was some kind of incedent and you spent the night. Edward hasn't told me anything else, and he won't let me ask Mason." She crossed her arms over her chest like a little kid who felt they were being scolded.

I nodded to Edward. He could tell whatever story he was most comfortable telling in front of Mason. I didn't know how Mason would react to either the details of the attack or the fact tht Edward and I were going to try to make an 'us'. Mason seemed to like me just fine, but kids of divorced parents usually held out hope that Mommy and Daddy would get back together. My mother had been married to Phil for nearly a year before I'd given up.

"Well," Edward said tentatively. He looked down at Mason, who was now holding Buzz close to his chest and just watchin his father from my lap.

Edward took a deep breath and then continued. "Mason and I were going out to dinner a couple of nights ago. I was driving by Bella's clinic when I saw a man push a gun into her back." Alice gasped. She looked like she wanted to do something, something to protect me. But she stayed in placed and waited for the rest of the story.

"I pulled into the pariking lost across the street." He looked at me pleadingly. "I would have pulled directly into your lot, but I wanted to keep Mason safe. I wanted him out of sight."

I shook my head, "Edward, that was never a question. I would have killed you if Mason had been put in danger."

Alice nearly growled, "Just get on with the story."

Jasper placed his hand on Alice's shoulder. "Relax, Darlin'. They're getting to it. You just have to be patient." Alice wasn't a patient person, but she tried to calm down.

Edward nodded, "Once I was sure that Mason was hidden. I had him lay in the floor of the car," I nodded, that explained why he wasn't in his car seat. "I grabbed the jack from under the passenger seat and ran for her." He shrugged. "I knocked him out as quickly as I could."

Alice was sitting there with her moth open. "That's it. You just knocked him out?"

I turned to glare at her. "You wanted him to do more? Alice, are you nuts?"

Alice shrugged, "It just seems anticlimactic. All that build up and worry, and all he did was knock him out. You could have told me that over the phone."

I rolled my eyes and Edward checked his watch. "Alice," he said. "you know that's not all that you want to know about."

She jumped in her seat, happy demeaner returning. "You're right. So tell me."

Edward and I both looked at Mason. Jasper sighed and stood up, clearly understanding. "Hey, Mason. Where'd you hided Woody? I feel a little homesick, and I think a cowboy could make me feel better."

"Okay," Mason slid from my lap and dashed up the stairs, Jasper close by in case he tripped.

Edward looked at me, as if trying to determine how I wanted to say it. I looked at Alice, "We're not exactly sure where we stand at this moment, Alice. We don't want to jump into something and have Mason feel that his world has been jerked around."

Edward nodded, "Mason seems happy having Bella around, but it would ruin everything if he suddenly rejected her."

Alice seemed to be deep in thought. She looked up at the stairs, not really paying attention to either of us anymore. "Mason's going to accept it. He loves Bella."

Edward took my hand and smiled at me. "I know that," he said. "But I don't want his opinion to suddenly change abou her. I want him to feel that he can trust Bella not to rip us apart."

Alice turned her gaze back on us. "What exactly does that mean? You're just going to be friends until you figure out how Mason's going to react?"

I shook my head, "Of course not, Alice." Edward squeezed my hand reassuringly. "It's just that we want to not throw it in his face that we're trying."

"That means things like sleepovers are currently off limits," Edward added. "Whenever Mason's around, I want him to see Bella as something more than my girlfriend."

Alice got up and went to her kitchen. When she came back she thrust a piece of paper at Edward and I looked at it and realized that I recognized it. It was te picture that Mason had drawn in the police station. He had intended to show it to Edward when we got home, but he'd been so tired that he'd nearly passed out. Edward's brow furrowed. "What's this?"

Alice crossed her arms, "That is a piture that your son drew. It's a picture of you two and him. I really think the message is pretty clear."

I shook my head, "Alice, just because he likes having me around, doesn't mean that he wants me around all the time. And it certainly doesn't mean that he wasn't me to be romantically involved with his father."

I leaned forward, closing my eyes and rubbing my brow. "Alice, this isn't really something that you'll understand, but I've been the daughter of divorced parents. And when they start dating again, it really sucks."

Alice huffed and I looked back up at her. "Mason is not like other children. He will accept you. I really think that you two should listen to me. You're just dragging out the inevitable. You two will be together. The longer you take to admit it, the longer you delay your happiness."

"Ali?" Jasper's voice was coming down the stairs. I wanted to kiss him for his forwarning. "Mason wants to watch Toy Story with Bella. He said she promised."

I stood up and smiled. "That's right. I did promise." Mason came bounding toward me. Of course he tripped. I snagged him midfall and carried him over to his father who was getting ready to leave.

Edward ruffled Mason's hair and kissed his forhead. "Be good for Aunt Alice, Jasper and Bella. I'll be back to get you in the morning."

"Kay, Daddy." Mason wiggled out of my arms and ran back to Alice who was looked at me pointedly.

I rolled my eyes and walked Edward to his car. When we reached it, we stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither wanting to make the first move. Edward looked up at the house. "Do you think she's right?"

I shrugged, "It's quite possible. She has an uncanny ability of being able to predict things."

Eward took my face in his hands, lifting it so that he could see into my eyes. "I want her to be right. I hate the fact that so much time has been wasted."

I covered one of his hands with my own and gazed up into Edward's emerald eyes. "If we do this right, we won't waste anymore. We just have to do it slowly. No matter how well Mason has taken to me, he's still going to have it in the back of his mind that you and Tanya might get back together someday. Trust me. No matter how we do this, he'll resent my interfering with that, even if only for a little while."

Edward kissed my forehead, "I don't deserve you. You are far too understanding of this situation."

I was going to argue with him, but he cut off all words. His lips descended upon mine and I simply melted. His hands slid around to the back of my head, tangling into my hair. My hands found their way up his back and gripped his shoulders tightly.

He nudged my lips open with his own. I breathed in his hot breath and our tongues clashed. One of his hands fell from my hair down to the small of my back and he pulled me up where I was standing on my tiptoes. My grip on him tightened even when I didn't think it could.

My breathing was becoming so ragged that I wasn't sure oxygen was reaching my lungs. But I couldn't find it in me anywhere to really care. My head was starting to spin when something in Edward's back pocket began to beep. He pulled his lips from mine and I whimpered. He didn't move any other part of his body from mine. I was pressed so tightly to him that I could feel him growing hard between us.

The beeping device began it's antics again and Edward's grip on me loosened. "Hospital," he panted out.

I nodded, having just as much trouble getting control of my body as he was. "You should go," I whispered. I tried to tell my limbs to unwrap themselves from around his body, but I couldn't seem to find the part of my brain that controlled those actions.

For the third time, the beeping began. Edward seemed to be coming out of his daze slowly. He lowered me so that I wasn't pulled nearly off my feet anymore. His arms didn't disentangle from my body, though. "It's the first time that I've truly had you in my arms. I'm not sure I can let you go."

An exasperated chuckle escaped my lips. I took a deep breath and pulled my claws from his shoulders. I slid my arms down his back and hugged him closer to me for a moment. He leaned down to kiss the top of my head. "Tomorrow's Friday." He said into my hair. "Do you have any plans?"

I shook my head, "Did you have something in mind?"

A chuckle rumbled in his cest. "Well I have lots of things in mind." I rolled my eyes. "But I have Mason so I'll have to stick with the PG ones."

He rubbed his chin across the top of my head, "What do you say about going to see a movie and dinner? The movie will be a kid's movie and we'll have to go somewhere with a kids' menu." He sounded unsure, like he was still questioning my willingness to have Mason around.

I turned my head up and kissed his cheek. "As long as you're talking about a kids' menue for Mason and not making a joke about my heights." He laughed and I smiled. "Then it's a date."

He leaned down to press a chaste kiss on my lips before finally letting me loose. Then he pulled a pager out of his back pocket and rolled his eyes. "They're so impatient sometimes." And with a knee weakening crooked grin, he got into his car and left.

I walked back into the house to find everyone waiting for me. Alice had gotten Mason into his pjs already so that if he fell asleep during the movie we could put him to bed.

Alice raised her eyebrow at me and Jasper looked like he was trying to hold in laughter. I looked in the mirror and groaned. My lips were swollen and my hair was an absolute mess. I turned to glare at both of them. "Not a word."


	8. A Toy's Happily Ever After

I was pacing my living room like a caged animal. "Bella, sit your butt down. You are going to work up a sweat and ruin all my hard work." Alice was sitting on my couch pretending to flip through a magazine that was sitting on my coffee table, but I knew that she was watching me. My Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy wouldn't hold her attention for more than a couple of seconds.

I glared at her, not missing a step. "Alice, do you know how long it's been since I've been on a first date?"

Alice snorted, "I could guess."

I shook my head, "I've been on three dates my entire life. All of there were Senior year to a guy named Jake, my dad's best friend's son. That was in high school. I haven't been with anyone since."

Alice nearly fell off my couch, dropping the pretense of reading the magazine "You have got to be kidding me."

I shook my head and continued to pace. "Bella, you're twenty eight years old. You can't really expect me to believe that you didn't date in college. I mean," she made a gesture with her hand toward me, "you're hot."

I continued to pace, nerves not anywhere near settled. "You're sweet, Alice. But this is really the first date I've been asked on since high school. And how are you supposed to act on a date where the guy brings his son. I mean, what's appropriate?"

Alice began to laugh from her spot on the couch and I turned my glare back on her. This was supposed to be my friend. Laughing at my freaking out would definitely not fall under that friendly behavior category. "I'm glad that you find this amusing."

Alice got up and stood in front of me, forcing me to stop. She placed her hands on my shoulders and squeezed. It almost hurt. The pixie was strong. "Bella, you are amazing with Mason. You are extremely natural when it comes to interacting with him. And it's gonna be the same tonight. You've worrying about nothing." She looked at her watch. "You have a date with two extremely attractive boys in less than thirty minutes. If you don't relax, you are going to pass out before they get here."

I inhaled deeply. "And don't think of this as a first date, because it's not," I gave her a sharp look and she corrected herself. "Well it's not exactly a first date. First dates are the 'get to know you's. You already know Edward and Mason. This is more like the 'can we spend the rest of our lives together' type of date."

I rolled my eyes, "Yes, Alice. That makes me feel so much better. My whole life depends on this date."

She threw her hands up and turned away from me. "Bella, you are such a drama queen." She turned back to me, fists on her hips. "You and Edward are meant to be together. I knew it in high school, and I know it now. This is the man that you will spend the rest of your life with. Will you please stop acting so ridiculous?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the sight that Alice presented before me. When you first looked at her, she was so small, but the woman was intimidating. Alice smiled and threw her arms around my waist. "There's my girl. I thought I lost you for a minute there."

I smiled and hugged her back. "I'm sorry, Alice. I lost my mind for a moment there. I don't know what happened. It just doesn't feel real. You know what I mean?"

She nodded, "I know, but it is." She gave me a stern look. "And if you do something stupid like this to ruin your happiness, we're going to have a serious talk."

I finally sat down with Alice on the couch. She helped me remain calm. About five minutes before her brother arrived, strange little psychic that she was, she left, telling me to have fun.

The doorbell rang and I nearly flew to the door. The sight that greeted me was beyond amazing. Edward and Mason were standing side by side. Mason was smiling and holding up a bouquet of lavender flowers for me. I dropped to my knees in front of him to accept them. "Thank you, Mason. They are so beautiful."

Mason gave me his toothiest grin. "Daddy let me hewp pick dem out."

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek before rising to my feet and turning into the house. I could feel Edward following me as I went to find a vase to put the flowers in.

I placed the flowers out in the living room. They really were beautiful. I turned to find Edward right behind me. I lifted up on my toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. "They're beautiful, Edward. Thank you."

He smiled and took my hand. We gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. It amazed me that his eyes could hold that much emotion for me. It just didn't seem possible. How could someone like Edward have feelings for me that were more than platonic?

"Bewa," Mason was tugging on the hem of my skirt. "We need to go. I'm hungwy."

Edward and I both laughed. I dropped Edward's hands so that I could lean down and pick up the persistent little boy. "And where are we going to have dinner?"

"Outback!" Mason looked so incredibly happy. "Dey haf Mac an Cheeze."

I rolled my eyes at Edward. "I really hope that he doesn't develop some kind of problem with dairy. As far as I can see, that's all his diet consists of."

Edward scratched the back of his head and laughed. "He likes it. I don't really know what else to give him."

I shook my head. Yes, Edward was an amazing father, and I'm sure a brilliant doctor. How could he not be? But his forte had never been in the kitchen. I squeezed Mason before handing him off to his father so that I could collect my stuff. "I am going to cook for you boys one night. A growing boy deserves a good home cooked meal every once in a while."

"Gwamma cooks," Mason said excitedly.

I assumed he meant Esme. She certainly had been the stay at home mom when we were younger. "What does Grandma cook for you?"

I gathered my things and we walked toward the door, locked it, got to the car, and buckled Mason into his car seat. He still wasn't finished telling us what Esme cooked for him by the time that we were on the road. It was a rather extensive list. I wasn't surprised how much of it was sweets. Esme would do anything to spoil her grandchildren.

"Alright, kiddo," Edward laughed. "Grandma cooks a lot of stuff for you."

Mason nodded and Edward turned up the radio to distract him. It worked like a charm. Mason started bouncing happily and singing to whatever was on the radio. "It's a shock he remembers all that. We haven't seen my parents in nearly six months.

"Is something wrong?" It just wasn't normal for Edward to not see his parents. They were a very close knit family.

He shrugged, "They really don't like that I'm living so far away, but they seem to understand."

My brow furrowed, "Edward, I don't understand."

He reached out and took my hand, checking Mason's reaction in the rear view mirror. "Bella, why haven't you been home?" I looked at him, but didn't answer. He already knew that answer. He squeezed my hand, letting me know that he'd understood my silence. "Wouldn't you think that I would have similar reasons?"

I continued to watch him. He noticed, "I can't avoid home all together. I really do love my parents. It's just hard for me to be in Forks."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. We really had screwed up our lives over this. But it wasn't going to happen anymore. "Edward, we have to go home."

I saw panic streak across his face and his hand tightened around mine, as if he was afraid that I'd run if he let it go. "I thought you wanted to go out with us."

I placed my other hand over his. "Edward, that's not what I mean. We are going out tonight." He seemed to relax. "But this running from Forks stuff has to stop."

He nodded, "You're right." His gaze flickered to me, "but you're coming with me. If we're going to face our past, we're doing it together."

I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Are you sure you're ready to face Chief Swan?"

He laughed nervously, his thumb stroked the back of my hand. "You planning on letting him use me for shooting practice?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. Edward and Mason joined in, though Mason obviously had no idea what was going on. Once my fit had calmed down, I leaned over the console and kissed Edward's cheek, which made Mason giggle again. In the back of my mind, I registered that this was a great reaction to any sort of physical contact that Edward and I had. The rest of my mind was focused on the goofy grin Edward was sporting. "He won't hurt you. He'll think about it, but you should be safe."

The rest of the evening went well. We went to Outback and had some okay steak. We were obviously going there for Mason. He let me taste the Mac n' Cheese, and I had to admit that it was really good. Probably better than my steak.

Then we went to see the theater showings of both Toy Story one and two in 3D. It was fun. Mason sat between us for a while, but then he climbed into my lap and began to doze off. I couldn't blame the poor kid. Each movie was nearly two hours long.

Edward scooted over to take his son's spot, tucking me under his arm. It was a really sweet picture. It almost felt like I was part of the family.

Mason was completely out of it by the time that the second movie was over. Edward took him from my arms and we walked back out to the car. "I think we'll have to watch the second one again. He basically slept through the whole thing."

Edward laughed, "Yeah. I still can't believe that they're making a third one. I mean, let the toys have their happily ever after already."

I shook my head. "I'm not sure there is a happily ever after for toys. But I feel especially bad for Jesse."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "One, I'm a little concerned that you're actually analyzing the movie to the point that you don't believe there's a happily ever after for cartoon toys." We both laughed. "And two, why do you feel bad for Jesse?"

I shrugged, "She'll be going through this for the second time. I mean, she had an owner before Andy. And now Andy is giving up on her the same way her previous owner did. It kind of sucks."

"Huh," Edward shifted Mason enough so he could put his arm around me. "You're right. When you put it that way, it really does suck."

"Well," I laughed. "Not all people can be as good to their Woody and Buzz toys as you were. I mean, come on Edward. Did you ever play with those things? They look almost brand new when I saw Mason play with them."

Edward just shrugged, "We were already old enough that playing with dolls wasn't cool when my parents bought them for me. I mean, I loved them, but it just really wasn't acceptable to do things like bring them to show and tell or have friends over to play with them."

I shook my head, "I can't believe you were one of those kids. Alice never gave up on her dolls." I waved my hand gesturing to my outfit, "She was at my house playing Bella Barbie just this afternoon." I'd never tell her, but it had been less torturous recently. I'd actually missed her enough over the years that I was enjoying our time together, no matter what we were doing. Even a couple of trips to the mall wouldn't freak me out anymore.

"But she's a girl, Bella." Edward sounded like he was whining, which made me want to laugh. I held it in, though. I had a feeling that was what he wanted. So he switched tactics. "Besides, you know you look smokin' hot, right?"

I burst into a fit giggles, rousing a sleepy Mason. He didn't wake completely, but the confused look on his face was too adorable. When I was calmed down enough I leaned into Edward. "Seriously, I haven't heard anyone say something that stupid since high school. And that was like Mike Newton. I would never have heard that come from you."

He nodded. "That's true. I would prefer to say that you look stunning, beyond beautiful, exquisite."

We reached the car and Edward placed a sleeping Mason in his car seat before helping me into the passenger side. The car ride was quiet for the most part. Edward drove me to my house, but neither of us moved to get out of the car.

"Are you sure you can't stay with us tonight?" Edward had asked me a few times, but I'd yet to sway.

I glanced in the rear view mirror. Mason was still asleep. I turned my attention to Edward. I slid my hand behind his neck and pulled his face toward mine. The kiss remained PG in appearance, but I felt it radiating through my entire body.

I pulled back and looked back into his eyes. "Give it a little more time, Edward." My fingers played with the hairs at the nape of his neck. "I want to be sure that Mason won't get confused."

Edward smiled and brushed my hair from my face. "You are perfect, did you know that?" It looked like there was something else that he wanted to say, but held his mouth shut.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his one more time before turning to get out of the car. Edward grabbed my hand, preventing me from leaving. I turned back to give him a questioning look. "Mason's going to be with Tanya tomorrow night. Will you do something with me, tomorrow?"

I didn't have to think about my answer. I leaned in and kissed him a third time. I was addicted to his lips. I was really beginning to wonder how it was that I had lived without them all these years. "Yes, Edward. We can do something tomorrow night."


	9. Dating

For the second time in a mere twenty four hours, Alice was at my house helping me prepare. I hadn't even asked her to come over. When I asked if Edward had mentioned our date, she shook her head. "I knew Tanya had Mason, and my brother would be a fool not to get some time alone with you."

So that was how I found myself sitting on the toilet with the lid flipped down so that Alice could straddle me and work with her massive amount of cosmetics. I didn't have a clue what we were doing tonight, but it couldn't hurt to look my best.

"So, Bella," Alice said as she applied something to my eyes. "Have you told my brother that you love him yet?"

My eyes shot open with surprise, which of course caused Alice to poke me in the eye with a brush. "Shit, Alice. That hurt. Be more careful with that thing. I could have lost my eye."

Alice chuckled as she cleaned up the spot she'd messed up and then went back to work. "Stop being so melodramatic and answer my question." Alice said after a few minutes.

I groaned, "Alice, one, I'm not being melodramatic. You really should be more careful. And two, I'm not sure of my feelings. Why would I tell him that?"

"Because you do," she said simply. When I didn't answer, she elaborated. "Bella, you really can't deny your feelings for my brother. It's in the way that you look at him. And it's not like it's not obvious that he returns your feelings."

"Alice," I reminded myself not to open my eyes and glare at her. "It's too early for that. Don't you think."

Alice laughed. "You think that eleven years of being in love with each other makes it too early to say it. Come on, Bella."

She did have a point. This wasn't like some guy I'd just met. This was Edward. I sighed, "It's just not the right time yet, Alice. When the time's right, we'll say it."

Alice lifted herself from my lap. I took that as my cue that I could open my eyes. She helped me from my seat and stood me in front of the mirror. I had to smile. I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks, Alice. You are the best."

She shrugged, "I know." Then she swatted my butt, "Now go get that dress on. I know it's going to be perfect, but I have to see my handiwork before I leave."

I slipped on the blue dress that she'd laid out for me and twirled in it. The skirt was layered so that when I twirled around, it looked like a flower blooming from my waist.

Alice stood in the doorway smiling as I twirled. "I guess that means that it gets the Bella seal of approval."

My smile was huge. I usually wasn't one to be vain about how I looked, but this dress made me look hot. "It's gorgeous, Alice. You have amazing taste."

She smiled and waved my compliment off. "I know. Now, I want to make sure that you're okay before I leave. No freak outs like last night? I don't want to leave if there's a chance that you'll back out."

I twirled one last time in front of the mirror and went to hug Alice. "No freak out tonight. You are the best friend anyone could have. Thanks for putting up with me."

Her giggles were contagious. She hugged me back tightly and then she left me to wait for her brother. Who, of course, showed up right on time.

I opened the door and watched as his jaw nearly hit the ground. I giggled and waited for his eyes to meet mine. When they did, they were darker than I was used to. "Well, we had plans o go out, but I think you may have just blown those."

I rolled my eyes, trying to contain the grin of satisfaction that was blooming from deep within me. "Come on, Edward." I grabbed my purse and keys. "We're not missing whatever it is you've got planned."

He huffed, "Fine," We made our way out to his car, and I let him hold the door for me. I reveled in the feeling of being with Edward. I loved the small things that he did to make me feel special.

He took me to a little Italian Bistro, he said it reminded him of the little restaurant in Port Angeles that we'd gone to before Prom. I couldn't help but smile. It was a bit like La Bella Italiana. It was small, dimly lit, and , of course, the hostess even ogled my date. It was probably something that I was going to have to get used to if Edward and I were going to work.

The mention of prom should have made me sad. It had led to a dark time in my life. But instead, it made me curious. "Edward?" He looked up at me from his menu. "When Alice took me out to lunch a few weeks ago, she said something that kind of confused me."

Edward closed his menu and gave me his full attention so that I could continue. I took a deep breath. This shouldn't make me nervous. I already had him at this point. But none the less, I was a little nervous to find out the answer to my question. "Alice said that when we went to prom, you were trying to figure out if I had feelings for you."

His nod encouraged me to go forward, "She also said that when you came home, you were sure that you wanted to ask me out. That something had happened to convince you that I might have feelings for you as well." I took a shaky breath. "What was it?"

The waitress came over as Edward opened his mouth to speak. "Have we decided what we'd like to eat?"

Edward exhaled sharply, clearly not happy with the interruption. We each placed our orders, trying to get rid of her. But she stuck around for a few extra moments. I chewed on my bottom lip as I tried not to laugh at Edward's attempt to be a gentleman in that moment. He clearly wanted her gone.

Once she had disappeared, I couldn't help but let the laughter escape. He turned his glare on me, "You think that's funny?"

I just nodded as I continued to giggle. It was hilarious. Edward's stern look turned into a pout. "If your just gonna continue to laugh at me, then I'm not gonna tell you what happened that night."

That shut me up pretty quickly. I chewed on my lip again. I was determined to remain quiet and find out this answer.

"Okay," he said. He interlaced his fingers and leaned forward, so that only I could hear him. "When I left to get your coat at the end of the dance, you were approached by a couple of girls." I scrunched my nose in disgust, which caused him to chuckle. Jessica and Lauren had approached me and they had never much liked me. It bothered them that Edward and I spent so much time together. But they found out that they could upset me by rubbing it in my face that we were just friends.

"I guess I should have stepped in, but I was in shock by the way that they looked at you. I didn't know it was possible for anyone to look at you with so much," he hesitated, almost afraid to use his words, "distaste." I could tell that wasn't the word he wanted to use.

"Then I heard them teasing you. I couldn't believe anything that I heard. And you just stood there and took it like it was nothing. And finally, when they wouldn't leave you alone, you said. 'He may not return my feelings, but he's still my best friend, and that's more than either of you will ever get from him.'"

I blushed crimson. I couldn't believe that he'd heard that. He took my hand, and I looked up into his eyes. "You can't even imagine how much I wanted to sweep you off of your feet at that moment. I very nearly did." He shook his head. "Maybe I should have, but I didn't want you to think that I only did it because you were all dressed up."

I shook my head, half a smile on my lips. "So you really were going to do something like crawl into my window that night, like Alice said?"

He nodded, "You have no idea how hard it was for me to make that promise to my Dad. Not that he really wanted me to make it. He and my mom actually tried to talk me out of it on several occasions. Including the day of my wedding. I only held on because I knew it would kill my Dad to lose his best friend."

It bothered me that Edward put his father's friendship with a man he knew in college over his own happiness. And thinking that his father should do the same. I squeezed his hand, "Well, I suppose there is one good thing that came out of this whole thing." He looked up at me expectantly. "Mason," I said simply.

Edward smiled. "Yeah, I can't imagine my life now without him. I wouldn't have survived these last few years if he hadn't been in my life."

Our meals came and we ate quietly. Edward didn't take his hand from mine, though that left him with his left hand to eat with. Being ambidextrous really had it's perks. It was quiet, but perfect. I was with the man that I loved and nothing could mess up this moment for us.


	10. Possessive

I'll tell you one thing. Alice is a sneaky little stinker. When we got back to the car, there was a small duffel in my seat with a note on top of it. I picked up the note as Edward tossed the duffel in the back seat.

Bella  
Here are a few things that I thought you might like; a change of clothes and some toiletries. You'll thank me later.  
Alice

I threw the note on the dashboard and slipped to the car. "Your sister is cheeky."

He chuckled as he shut the door and rounded the car. Once we were on the road he took my hand. "She just wants us to be happy. Alice lives her life to the fullest. She would probably kill us if we didn't take advantage of a weekend alone."

I turned to look at him. His face was dimly lit by the dashboard light and passing cars would occasionally send his face into full illumination. "I suppose you're right. I wouldn't want to miss an opportunity."

"We've already missed too many." The words were mumbled under his breath. I wasn't sure if I was meant to hear them. But he was right. More than ten years had been wasted, no more should be.

Edward pulled up to his house, and I let him come around to open my door for me. He held out his hand to help me to my feet. Then he grabbed my duffel from the backseat and we made our way up to the house, hand in hand.

Edward dropped my duffel in a nearby chair, and I just looked at it. Though I knew that I wanted this, there was something so strange about Alice interfering like the way that she had. This was supposed to be personal and intimate. Yet, Alice's interference made it feel like the whole Cullen family knew. And the thought of Esme and Carlisle knowing where Edward and I were headed was definitely blush provoking.

Edward brushed my burning cheek with his finger. "You look so beautiful when you blush. What could be going on in that beautiful head of yours that's got you blushing, though?"

I chewed on my bottom lip and looked up into his emerald eyes. He brushed his thumb across my bottom lips, pulled it from between my teeth. Without waiting for my answer, he bent his head forward until he had captured the recently freed lip between his own.

He sucked on my lips gently at first, but then he drew it further into his mouth and nipped at it. I melted into him and closed my eyes. I couldn't control the whimper that escaped my lips when he pulled back to look at me. His green eyes bore down into mine. He used both his hands to frame my face, brushing my hair back. "You are so incredible," he whispered.

Then he leaned back down to brush our lips together, lightly. He was so tender with me, it was almost as if he wasn't touching me at all. I pushed up on my toes, desiring further contact. Needing to feel the full pressure of his lips against mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him down to meet me halfway.

He moaned against my lips, sliding his hands into my hair to hold me captive, though I would have willingly stayed without encouragement. I tightened my hold on him pulling him down to nearly my level, but it still wasn't close enough for either of us.

Edward's hands slid down my back until he cupped my bottom in his hands. Then he lifted me, pressing our bodies together. The movement jostled me, and my legs instinctively wrapped around his waist in a strangle hold so that I wouldn't fall. This brought my sensitive core in contact with his hard length.

"Bella," he growled out against my lips. The response intrigued me. Experimentally, I shifted myself slowly, rubbing myself against him. He broke away gasping. His eyes had darkened in color considerably. And there seemed to be a fire behind his eyes that I had never seen before.

We were both breathing heavily as we continued to stare at each other. Edward tightened his hold on me, hissing when that brought me into closer contact with his throbbing length. "I think," he whispered as he tried to take a step forward, "that we should take this upstairs."

I nodded my head and tried to wiggle from his grasp, only causing both of us to groan as we experienced the slight friction. He held me tighter, trying to prevent my squirming. Then he began to carry me up the stairs to his bedroom. I dropped my head into the crook of his neck and shoulder because each step that he took was a mixture of pleasure and torture. The slightest shift between us sent electric jolts running through my entire body.

When we finally reached the bedroom, Edward gently laid me down on the bed. He looked deeply into my eyes before reclaiming my lips. They were his. Forever.

He let his tongue trail across my bottom lip, and I opened to him readily. His tongue swept along the inside of my mouth, tasting me before it sought mine to tangle with. When our tongues did finally touch, I thought I would come undone right then. He tasted so sweet, and the sensations were incredible. I dug my fingers into his hair, because I needed him closer. It still wasn't enough.

I barely recognized the lack of oxygen before Edward's lips moved from mine to my neck. I took in a few shaky breaths as I moved to a new feat. My hands slid from his hair, down his back to the top of his pants. I tugged at his shirt until it came loose from his pants. I tried to concentrate on the material in my hands, but he was sucking roughly on a very sensitive spot on my neck. I grunted, unaware that my body could make such noises. Edward appeared to be pleased with himself, though. I could feel his smile forming against my neck.

His mouth moved back to mine and he helped me as I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt. Each button harder to move than the last. If not for Edward's patient hands, I would have ripped the shirt from his back. Together, we were able to slip the last button through it's hole and slid the shirt off of his shoulders.

I stared at his glorious chest for a few moments. He was so perfect. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed until he rolled on his back, bringing me up to straddle his abdomen.

His hands slid up my calves to my thigh, where the material of my dress began to bunch in his hands. The heat that emanated into my legs went directly to my core. I could feel myself pulsing with need for him. As his hands slid up further, taking the dress with him, I slid back against him slightly, rubbing against him like a cat in heat.

His fingers grazed my hips, my stomach, and then the outer part of my breasts, causing me to gasp. Even through the thin bra that Alice had forced me to wear, my skin was overly sensitive to his touch.

I lifted my arms so that Edward could remove the dress from my body completely. It was thrown to the floor to be found later.

Next, came Edward's pants. I was able to get his trouser's unhooked more easily than his shirt. I tugged them down his legs until they dropped off he edge of the bed, where I noticed his shoes and socks were already piled.

Nothing but a few thin layers were left between us. I admired Edward as he sat up and pulled me toward him Our chests collided as his arms encircled me and he opened his lips over mine again. I couldn't get enough of his lips. They were so warm, so soft, so perfect against my own.

Lowering myself slightly, I allowed our cloth clad skin to grind together trying to seek friction. Edward groaned into my mouth. "Bella, I'm trying to take this slow. You're not make that easy."

"I don't want to make that easy," I whispered. I trailed my fingers down his chest to the elastic band of his boxer briefs. I tugged them down, over his manhood, until he finally lifted his hips, inadvertently brushing against my aching center, so that I could rid him of the last piece of material that dared to separate his perfection from my view.

Rolling us over, he kicked off the underwear before going to work on mine. His fingers brushed lightly along the line where the bra and my skin met underneath my breasts. He moved around until he reached the bed, so I arched my back, allowing his hands room to finish their task. The bra was snapped expertly and thrown haphazardly in the same direction of the dress.

One final piece of material sat between us. I was ready to have it removed, but Edward was suddenly very distracted. He leaned down, taking one of my breasts between his lips. He suckled on it, running his tongue around my now diamond hard nipple. He hummed, sending vibrations through my body, increasing the throbbing in my center.

"Edward," I groaned. "Please." The whispered plea fell on deaf ears as his attention moved from one breast to the other. I arched off the bed as he nipped at the overly sensitive nipple.

Finally, seeming pleased with his work, Edward moved southward. He left a trail of kisses across my stomach as he slid down to my most sensitive of areas. He slid the cheeky Pink panties down my legs slowly, tortuously. Then, keeping his ridiculous pace, crawled back to hover over me.

Leaning down, pressed his lips to mine again, our hands began to explore the newly exposed bodies. His fingers trailed lightly down my stomach and brushed back and forth across my hip bone.

It still wasn't enough. He was nowhere near close enough. I took his hand and pushed it lower, causing him to grin widely against my lips. Instead of moving further down, he took my hand in his and slid my fingers through my own slit. The wetness that had gathered there made my breath catch in my throat.

"Tell me how wet you are," he whispered against my lips. "I want to know that you're ready for me."

I groaned as he refused to touch me. He continued to use my own hand to put pressure on my clit or slip into my entrance. "Please," I begged. "I've never wanted anything more."

He replaced my fingers with his, rubbing my clit with more pressure. My legs trembled slightly. His lips moved from mine, down my neck and to my breasts as he slipped one finger inside of me. I pushed down against him, begging him not to tease me any further. The wait had been too long, and I couldn't take it any longer.

But he continued to refuse, I shoved on his chest until he rolled off of me. I straddled him, took a deep breath and pushed myself down on him until I got to my barrier. Edward's eyes locked with mine as the shock registered there. I nodded, answering his unasked question. Then I lifted myself up just enough to let my weight drop back down on him, tearing my final barrier.

We both stilled our movements. A single tear streaked down my cheek. Edward sat up and brushed it away, wrapping his arms around me, trying to ease the pain. He laid a trail of kisses along the side of my neck, waiting for me to be ready.

I turned my head, to which he obligingly kissed me softly on the mouth. I shifted slightly, causing a low moan in the back of his throat. The beauty of the sound and the wonderful vibrations against my lips momentarily overshadowed the pain. And I wanted to do it again. I rocked my hips slowly against his earning myself another groan. Edward pulled back to look me in the eyes, asking me if I was ready. I nodded again, and his hands slid down to my hips, lifting me and slowly bringing me back down.

With each slow union, the pain eased and the pleasure of the friction seized my mine. I couldn't think of anything besides Edward's hands, Edward's lips, Edward's cock. Edward flooded my mine and body. He surrounded me and invaded me. He was everything and everywhere.

A building in the pit of my stomach warned me to my impending release. "So close," I whimpered.

Edward placed a light kiss on my lips before rolling us so that I was pinned beneath him. The new angle gave him the leverage he needed to begin to pump into me with increased speed. He held himself up on his forearms and looked into my eyes. "Let go for me, baby," he whispered. "I can't hold out much longer."

I looked deeply into his emerald eyes, and what greeted me sent me spiraling into my release. There he was, my Edward. The person I had been in love with since high school was there and was the only thing I could see. The Edward who'd known years of suffering had completely disappeared, leaving me my Edward.

My body clamped down hard on his and I screamed out his name, no other word in any written or spoken language available to me. After a few more uneven thrusts, Edward joined me with his own release. He collapsed on top of me, breathing heavily into my neck.

Edward rolled over, taking me with him, not wanting to break our connection. He held me to him tightly. When our breathing had slowed, he lifted my chin so he could lean down and place a slow kiss on my lips. As he pulled away, I could see the moisture in his eyes. "I…you…never." He was unable to form a complete sentence.

I shook my head, "No, I never did. It never felt like the right time or the right person."

His head fell back against the pillow and he stared up at the ceiling. "That's incredible."

"What?" I shifted, rolling myself onto his side, as he slid from within me. I felt empty without him there.

He turned on his side as well so that we were on eye level. "The idea that you have never been with anyone else. It makes me feel," he seemed to struggle for words, "possessive." He tried the word out on his tongue. "To know that no one has ever touched you this way before," his arms tightened around my waist. "It made me feel like you belong to me. I've never felt this way before."

It scared me a little that his words didn't bother me. They should bother me. I shouldn't want to be owned by anyone. But I wanted to belong to Edward. "Not even with Tanya?"

He shook his head, "I wasn't Tanya's first. So I can't be sure, but I don't think it would have been the same anyway. I think it's you." He looked at me in wonder. "When we broke your Hyman, all I could thing was 'mine,' and it has never been like that before."

He rolled onto his back again and I laid my head on his chest, exhaustion taking over my mind. Edward's hand ran up and down my arm, lulling me into a peaceful sleep. The last thing I though before being completely pulled under was how the possessiveness that he felt should not pull at my heart.


	11. I'm Goin Home

Plans were quickly put into place for a trip home. At first, Edward and I had planned on making a weekend trip with Mason. Then Alice had gotten wind of it, and she had a fit. "There's no way that you are going home without me. And you know that Mom and Dad are always begging you to bring Mason home. You need to give them at least a week." So now, Alice, Jasper, Mason and I were sitting in the terminal while Edward got us lunch.

Over the past month, I had been spending more and more time at Edward's house, getting Mason used to the idea of me being around. He seemed to be taking greatly to the idea, almost as excited as Edward was when we held 'sleepovers'.

I had been resistant to the idea of spending the night with Mason there, but Edward had somehow gotten Mason to use the Cullen Pout on me. And I was a sucker for the Cullen Pout, especially on Mason.

"Okay," Edward plopped down next to me, two huge McDonald's bags and one kids meal bag in his arms. He handed one of the bags to Alice and gave the kid's meal to Mason who had just crawled into my lap. Then he handed me my burger. I smiled my thanks to him.

"Yay!" Mason held out his toy for my inspection. "It's Fee-o-door from Awvin and da Chipmunks." He squeaked happily.

I smiled down at him. "I see that. Is Theodore your favorite?"

He nodded his head vigorously and started to play with his toy. Edward reached out and took it from him. "You can have Theodore back when you finish your lunch," he said sternly. "We're going to be boarding soon, and there won't be anywhere to put your trash on the plane."

I was a little surprised that Mason simply ate his meal as his father had told him to do. Most kids his age would have thrown a temper tantrum.

Meals finished and Mason happily playing with his Theodore, we began to board the plane. There were five seats in a row; three on one side and two on the other. Edward and I sat on one side with Mason between us, and Alice and Jasper were sitting across from us.

Mason passed out in Edward's lap when the flight attendant told us that we could move about the cabin. I scooted over into Mason's seat so that I was closer to Edward and laid my head down on his shoulder.

He interlaced our fingers and kissed my hair. "Are you glad to be going home?"

I shrugged, "I suppose. Charlie seemed excited enough to see me."

He chuckled, "And did you happen to tell Chief Swan why it was that you were coming home after all these years?"

I chewed on my bottom lip. "Not exactly."

"Are you afraid to tell him?" He nudged me with his shoulder so that I was looking up at him.

I sighed knowing that there was no way to keep my emotions from Edward, "Kind of. My dad can be a scary guy. And even though I'm a grown woman who can make her own choices, he might be willing to blow a few knee caps if I bring home a guy."

Edward leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Will you still want me if your father blows my knee caps?"

I shifted so that I could reach his lips with my own. I pressed them together gently, trying to convey what I felt for him without saying it. I wasn't sure that it was time to say it yet. "I'd still want you no matter what my father did to you."

The flight went smoothly and we reached Seattle slightly early. Not early enough to beat Edward's parents, though. The moment Esme saw me, I was pulled into her arms. "Oh, Bella. I'm so happy to see you. Alice has been talking about nothing but you since they found out you were all living in the same city." She pulled back to look at me. "You look amazing, dear. I hope that means that Edward's treating you right."

I blushed and looked down, causing everyone around me to chuckle, "I'll take that as a yes." Esme said. I wasn't looking up at her, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

The more than hour drive was interesting to say the least. First we walk out to see a minivan rather than Carlisle's Mercedes. I looked at Esme for explanation, and she waved it off. "Angela let me borrow it. Have you talked to her recently?"

I shook my head, a little embarrassed. I really had cut myself off from my home when I graduated from high school. She smiled sympathetically. "She's a real Soccer Mom these days. She and Ben have three children. They are so cute, two boys and a girl. The girl just started taking piano lessons from me. So when I told Angela that you all were coming back into town, she offered me a bigger car to come pick you up."

I was going to have to go see Angela this week. I really had missed having her around.

We were halfway to Forks when Carlisle cleared his throat uncomfortably. "So I may have spilled the beans to Charlie about you two being together."

I stiffened, "How did he take it?"

"Well, he didn't jump on a plane to Phoenix." Carlisle offered soothingly. "But he might have said a few choice words that I'd really rather not repeat."

A deep shaky breath tried to make from to my lungs. I was hoping to get Charlie all buttered up with some kind of meal, maybe lasagna, before I dropped this on him. "Bella, I think you'll be alright. I just wanted you to be forewarned."

"It's not me I'm worried about," I mumbled. "It's your son's safety that's got me nervous."

Carlisle and Esme both smiled and shook their heads. They seemed totally relaxed with the whole idea, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a chance that my father wouldn't try something. He'd never really gotten his chance to scare away any guys while I was in high school. Apparently, Edward had taken care of that for him.

When we got to my house, the cruiser was already in the driveway. I took a deep breath and exited the car, promising to come see everyone in the morning. I gave both Edward and Mason a kiss before heading up the yard to my father's house. The place that was still so much of a home in my heart.

I reached under the eave and pulled out a key, surprised that my father hadn't come right to the door when we'd driven up. I mean, I hadn't been home in almost ten years. We'd seen each other intermittently when he'd come to visit me on the holidays.

I pushed the door open. My nose was assaulted by the most amazing smell. Someone was cooking. Someone besides Charlie had to be cooking, because the Chief could never make those smells come from the kitchen. I peeked around the corner to see a woman with long gray hair a few black hairs remaining from her youth, standing in front of the stove. "Hello?"

The woman turned around, nearly jumping out of her skin. She placed her hand over her heart and glared at me. "Don't do that to an old woman, Isabella. You could have given me a heart attack."

I smiled sheepishly at the elderly woman that I now recognized. "Sorry, Sue. I didn't expect to find anyone but my dad."

She nodded toward the living room. "He's napping in front of one of his games. He wanted to be awake when you got home, but he had a long day at the office." She shook her head. "The old man should retire. He has plenty of deputies who could take over for him, but does he want to spend more time at home with me? No, I'm just his wife."

I had turned toward the living room, but I spun back immediately. "Uh," I was flabbergasted. "I think I need my hearing checked, because it sounded like you said that you were my father's wife."

"Bells?" My father's gruff voice came from the living room. I looked Sue up and down one more time before heading toward my father's voice. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey, Bells. I didn't mean to fall asleep. How long have you been here?"

I plopped down on the couch and looked my father over, "Long enough to find out that you're married."

My dad blushed and ducked his head. "Yeah, I meant to tell you about that."

"Dad, did you think that I wouldn't figure it out? I mean, you married Sue. I think I would have noticed her walking around the house."

Dad nodded his head, "We eloped a few months ago. I would have told you sooner, but the time just never seemed right."

Dad and I sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally I sighed and stood up to hug my father. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm not mad at you, I was just taken by surprise."

He stood up and accepted my embrace. We stood there in each other's arms. "It's good to have you home, Bells. I can't believe that you finally decided to come."

I nodded and squeezed my father tighter. "I know, Dad. I'm sorry. I wasn't ready yet."

He pulled back to look me in the eyes. "This being ready doesn't have anything to do with meeting up with Edward again, does it?"

I rolled my eyes and the mood shifted. "Dad, is it really so bad for Edward and I to have a relationship? You loved him back in high school."

"No," Charlie said. "I put up with him back in high school. There was nothing I could pin on him to get him in trouble."

I shoved lightly at his chest, "You liked him and you know it. Dad, I'm a grown woman, and you can't stop me from dating."

Charlie grumbled a little, but let it go. He sat back down in the chair and we talked about my business until Sue told us that supper was ready.

Supper was a quiet event. I didn't' really know what to say to my new stepmother. I had known very little about Sue growing up. She had been Harry's wife, and Seth and Leah's mom. Harry had died of a heart attack when I was a senior. I hadn't been close to Leah, and although I got along with Seth, it wasn't enough to spend time around their home.

I was more than willing to call it a night after the awkward dinner that had just ensued. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I slipped into my old bedroom to make a quick phone call before going to sleep.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up, "Bewa?" Mason's excited little voice came from the other end.

"Hey, baby," I said with a smile. It was amazing how much I enjoyed just hearing his little voice. "Are you having fun with your grandparents?"

"Yeah," I couldn't help but laugh as Mason nearly screamed into the phone. "Gwamma an' Gwampa let me pway loss uh games."

"That's so cool." I wished that I could be there with them. I knew that I needed to be here with my father now, but I missed Mason and Edward. "Can you put your daddy on the phone?"

"Kay," he said excitedly.

There was shuffling and Mason screaming, "Bewa! Bewa!" before I heard his velvet voice. He chuckled, "Hey, babe. You're calling pretty early. Is everything alright?"

I leaned back into the warmth of my sheets, my body relaxing with the knowledge that he wasn't far away. "Everything's fine. It's just been an interesting night."

"How so?" I could hear a splashing sound in the back ground and Mason's giggles as Edward spoke.

"Edward, my dad is married." There was silence besides the occasional splashing sound. "Edward?"

"I'm still here," he mumbled. "I'm just trying to figure out how to respond to that kind of thing."

"You and me both," I said as I pulled the comforter over me. "Do you want me to let you go? It sounds like you're trying to give Mason a bath?"

He chuckled, "Trying would be the key word. No, I don't want you to go. I'm just trying to let what you've told me sink in. I know that Charlie's a private man, but I never saw him as the type for a secret marriage."

I shrugged, though he couldn't see it. "Didn't take him long to turn the tables on me, though. As soon as we'd sort of worked through the fact that he should have told me, he was on the offensive about you."

"Oh yeah?" He sighed, "Mason, don't splash so much. I don't want to clean up the whole bathroom." I shook my head as I imagined the total mess that Mason would make. Edward pulled my attention back to him. "How bad?"

"Not terrible," I admitted. "And to be honest, I think he would be bad for just about anyone. I never dated and gave him the opportunity to act like a father and scare away my dates."

Edward chuckled. "I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to have a daughter. She would probably never leave the house."

I rolled my eyes at him. He'd make a great father to a little girl. She would love him and he'd be wrapped around her little finger. And of course he'd be protective, but she'd eventually convince him to accept the guy of her choosing.

I shook my head. Those kinds of thoughts were really moot at this point. Edward and I hadn't discussed children and I was pretty sure he didn't have any pregnant girlfriends running around. "You'll come by tomorrow, right? It's probably best to get this meeting out of the way sooner rather than later."

"Sure." He laughed, "Everything's going to be fine, Bella. Worst comes to worse, he doesn't like me. I can deal with that. I'm the guy who's taking away his baby girl."

We said our goodnight and promised to see each other in the morning. I hung up and looked around my old walls and nearly laughed at finally being home and how much things had changed. I was finally with the man that I had been in love with all those years back. And I was finally getting a chance at the life that I'd always wanted. Now we just needed the Chief's stamp of approval.


	12. What I Missed

I awoke to the smell of pancakes and immediately found myself drifting downstairs. Sue was standing in front of the stove. When she turned to me, she had a huge stack on a plate and a pleading smile. "A peace offering?"

I giggled and took the plate from her. "I'm sorry about last night," I said shyly. "You really took me by surprise. Dad and I really rarely talk about anything anymore, so I wasn't even aware that he had started dating again."

Sue nodded sadly, "He really misses you, you know? He doesn't want me to know, but I can tell. He has a special spark in his eyes that's reserved just for you. He's just not the same man he was while you were living here."

I cut out a portion of the stack and chewed on it, not really hungry anymore, but not wanting to offend Sue. Guilt weighted heavily in my stomach over what she'd said. I really should have tried harder to spend time with him. I know I called him, but that just wasn't enough. It definitely wasn't his fault that my life was turned upside down after junior prom.

Sue's hand touched mine which held the fork. "Don't beat yourself up over it, dear We understand that you had to get away. Your father's glad for any time he gets with you at all."

"Morning!" The front door opened and closed and Charlie came in with a fishing pole which he put in the closet and an ice chest which he opened to reveal a few fish.

"That's pretty good," Sue said as she helped him clean them and put them in the freezer. "You were only out there a couple of hours."

Charlie shrugged. "Billy did better. He barely had the hook in the water before he was pulling it back up. I swear he's doing something to his bait."

Sue smiled and shook her head. They continued to clean the fish in silence. It amazed me how well they worked together. It seemed as if their movements were choreographed. They never got in each other's way, and they seemed to anticipate when the other would need their help. I wondered how long they had lived together before they got married.

When they were done, Charlie sat down next to me with a stack of his own pancakes. "Mornin' Bells," he said as he stuffed his cheeks. "What do you have planned for today?"

I shrugged, "I was thinking about going to visit some of my high school friends. It's been a while since I've seen them."

Charlie nodded, and we set about finishing our breakfast in a comfortable silence. I didn't know why, but my father and I had never really needed words. We were always comfortable just being in each other's company. We'd never needed words to fill the space.

I didn't hear the car pull up, but I did hear Mason chanting my name from the other side of the door before the knock. I smiled as I got up to get the door. I could feel Charlie close on my heels and hear Sue trying to suppress her giggles. Clearly, it was going to be one of _those_ meetings.

I opened the door and Mason slammed into my legs, nearly knocking me over. Edward steadied me and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I would have left him at home, but he was adamant about seeing you."

I gave him a chaste kiss on the lips before bending down to pick Mason up. "It's alright. I'm sure your parents want the chance to get to know Jasper.

He didn't really get the chance to say anything else, because Charlie stepped forward. His crossed his arms across his chest and practically pushed me behind him. I had to bite the inside of my cheek not to laugh. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, Edward."

Edward nodded curtly. I could see that he was trying to remain stoic, but it cracked a little, allowing some of the nerves to show through. "Yes, sir. I moved to Arizona for my job a few years back."

Charlie nodded and steped aside gesturing Edward in. He and Edward went to the living room while I took Mason to the kitchen. I didn't think he needed to see his father interrogated.

"Have you had breakfast yet, Mason?" I placed him down in one of the chairs and st down next to him.

Mason nodded happily. "Gwanma made me eggs. Dey was good." I giggled and shook my head at his antics.

Sue sat down a glass of chocolate milkin front of Mason, which made him squeal with delight. I couldn't help but notice the way that Sue's expression softened for Mason. I wondered if Mason did that to everyone. "How old are you sweathear?"

Mason held up three fingers. "I'm dis many.

Sue smiled, "My granddaughter is three years old too. I bet you two would be great friends."

I looked up at Sue with a questioning look. She nodded, answering my unasked question. "Leah and Jacob got married. They have a little girl and are expecting another."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I hadn't even known that they had dated, let alone got married. How could I have lost touch with everyone that meant so much to me? "And Seth?"

She smiled, "Engaged at the moment. The wedding date hasn't been set, but he's extremely excited."

Wow. Everything really does keep moving. No matter how broken and secluded from the world as I got, the world continued to turn and the people that I loved hand learned to live their lives without me.

Mason tugged at my hand, pulling me from my daze. "Bewa? Is Jake okay?"

I smiled down at him. "Of course Jake is okay. He's staying at the clinic. While he's there, someone will always play with him."

Mason's fears seemed to be quelled. He continued sipping his oversized glass of milk as we waited for Charlie's verdict.

Nearly thirty minutes later, and I still hadn't heard anything to tel me what direction the conversation was headed in. I stood up and started to pace while Sue talked to Mason. Even with her tough exterior, she had a very maternal instinct.

I heard a small chuckle and I turned to see Edward standing in the entry way watching me. I rushed to him. "What did he say?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "What men say to each other while women are in the kitchen is to remain between the men."

I glared at him which only caused him to laugh. "I was only kidding, Love. He gave me a rough time, but I think he's accepting it now."

"Daddy!" Mason ran to Edward and wrapped his arms around his father's leg. "Sue gave me miwk. Chalkwet," he said happily.

Edward ruffled his son's hair. "That's cool. Did you say thank you to Sue?"

Mason shook his head and ran bak over to Sue to thank her. "You know her daughter married Jacob, and they have a little girl. I feel like I've missed so much."

Edward kissed my cheek, "I'm sorry, Love."

I looked back up at him in shock. "Edward, it's not your fault. I should have come home. There is no excuse for the way that I cut everyone out of my life."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me against him. "But you would have never done that if I had found a better way to take care of things."

I snuggled into his chest as we watched my father walk in and be greeted by Mason. It was funny how he couldn't fight Mason's charm. No one could.

"This is Edward's son, Mason, Dad." He didn't look up from the boy tugging on his pants, pulling him toward the table. I giggled at the surprised look on my father's face.

After thirty minutes of Mason talking to my father animatedly, we were able to convince him it was time to go see his grandparents. He left only after Charlie promised to take him fishing before we left. I kissed Mason and Edward goodbye, promising to spend time with them tomorrow and watched them drive away.

When I got back into the house, Dad was scratching his head and looking out the window. "That's one heck of a little kid, Bells. He's just so exuberant."

I smiled and nodded, "He's an amazing little thing. He's irrisitable."

He turned to me with a serious look on his face. "Are you ready for this? Edward's carrying around a lot of baggage."

I nodded, "I know that Dad. And I also know that we've still got a few things that we've got to work through. I'm not jumping into this completely blind."

Charlie raised an eybrow at me. Clearly, he didn't believe that I was prepared for this relationship. "I just don't want to see you hurt again, Bells.

I took a few steps to close the distance between us and wrapped my arms around my father. "I know that, Dad. I love you."

I could feel his breath stutter as he wrapped his arms around me tightly. We had never really thrown the L word around before. We weren't normally verbal about our emotions, but I wanted him to hear it. "I love you too, Bells," he said gruffly.

After an emotion display with my father, I hopped into Sue's little car and headed out to see a few people. My first stop was the high school library, which I'd learned Angela had taken position in.

I went to the front office to get a visitors pass, only to run into Lauren Malory. Aparently she was working in the office, preparing to take over after Ms. Cope's retirement. She looked up and smiled at me. "Well, if it isn't Bella Swan? We haven't seen the likes of you since graduation."

I imitated her sickly sweet smile. "I know. I really should visit more often." I tried to hold back the laughter as I anticipated her reaction to what I was about to tell her. "Edward and I decided that it was time for Mason to come see his grandparents."

Her jaw nearly hit the desk as it dropped from her irritating smile. "Y-y-y-you and Edward?" she asked without grace.

Simply nodding I asked her for a visitor's pass, which she gave me. I left her in a complete stupor. I hoped she mistook my statement to mean that Mason was mine. After all the torment she'd caused me over Edward and my lack of relationship, I wanted her to suffer.

I stepped into the old library and walked to the desk, but Angela was not there. Slowly, row by row, I began to seek her out. I eventually found a very pregnant Angela waddling down a non-fiction row.

"Wow," I said, causing her to spin around and grin at me. "Preacher's daughter got busy while I was gone."

She giggled and threw her arms around me. I squeezed her back gently, not wanting to hurt her or the baby. "I can't believe you're pregnant again." I pushed her back to look her over. "Esme says you already have three."

She giggled and nodded. "Ben wants a big family. I actually wanted to stop at three, but this little one was kind of unexpected."

I shook my head and smiled at her. "I can't believe you became the librarian. We used to make fun of the librarian when we went to school here."

She shrugged, taking my hand and pulling me to her desk where she had several chairs set up. "I can't believe you're really here. And with Edward. What happened? You have to tell me?"

I laughed, "Pregnancy has made you a taller version of Alice." She shrugged and gestured for me to continue. "Well, basically, he has a dog, and they brought the dog to me. After a few incidents, we figred that we really should just give it a try." I gave her the summarized version.

Angela pulled out her desk drawer and grabbed a candy bar. She held another one up, "You want one?"

"Wouldn't want to deplete your stash," I said shaking my head.

She stuck her tongue out at me playfully before opening her bar and taking a bite. "What happened to that other girl? I though he married her."

"He did," I nodded. "They were divorced about three years ago. They have a son, which I'm sure you know through Esme. He's the cutest thing. He even has Charlie wrapped around his little finger."

Angela nodded, "Okay, so where does the ex play into this? I mean, she still has to be in his life if Edward spends time with his son."

"You'd be surprised. She isn't as involved with her son as you'd expect her to be." I leaed forward slightly. "I've seen her once and that was before Edwrad and I started dating. Edward has Mason most of the time, and as far as I can tell, that's the way that she wants it. I mean, the one time I saw her with him, she pushed him off on Edward instantly. I'm not sure she has the maternal instinct."

"So how are things going with Edward?" Angela lowered her voice, jumping from one topic to the next with an ease and speed that could only be imitated by Alice. "Have you, you know?" I blushed, "Oh my gosh, you have." I nodded. "How was it? I mean, I've only been with Ben so I don't know comparatively, but I always got the feeling that Edward would excel in that area."

"My God, Angela. What happened to that girl who was just as shy as I was in high school?" I looked my friend over carefully. "The woman sitting in front of e now is nothing like the girl who said goodbye to me at the airport."

She waved me off, "Motherhood takes away all of your shy tendencies. There's just nothing to be embarrassed about when you have three little kids running around your house taking away all your privacy."

"Then how do you get the time to make more of them?" I looked poindtedly at her stomach.

She chewed on her lips and blushed as if she were remembering the very incident that led her to this situation. "You make time for that. It just isn't worth it if you can't find a way to be with your spouse." Then her head shot up. "You're avoiding my question. Is he good, or what?"

I giggled, "Oh, he's good. I actually had an orgasm my first time, which I've heard most women don't."

Angela nodded. "I didn't my first time, though it was Ben's first time too, so it's understandable. I did later that night though." She grinned at me.

I couldn't help but grin back at her. "If I didn't know you so well in high school, I wouldn't believe that you were once a shy bookworm. I mean, the way you talk now, I'd suspect you'd been more like Alice."

She just giggled and shoved me lightly. It was so nice to be home with one of my best friends. I couldn't believe that I'd let this get away from me. I vowed never to let it happen again.


	13. Sleepy Planes

AN: Just a quick note, I have created a twitter account where I will give up to date tweets on when I've posted a new chapter or story. Also if I may be likely to answer questions that you have about any of my stories or suggest some stories that I found particularly enthralling. Please follow me: EnchantedSBella.

* * *

The trip was a resounding success. I spent time with all of my old friends and may have helped it get around that Edward and I were, in fact, together. Dad was just happy that I was home, and I promised him that I would be making an increased number of trips to Forks from now on.

Alice was happy as well. According to Edward, Carlisle interrogated Jasper in a way that put Chief Swan to shame. And not only came out unscathed, but also with Carlisle's stamp of approval. That made me smile. It was amazing how perfect for Alice, Jasper was. In high school, I had never been able to actually see Alice with anyone, and now I knew why.

But now it was time to go back to Arizona. I didn't particularly want to go back yet, but the relief vet that I'd hired wasn't going to be stick around for an impromptu extension of my vacation and Edward needed to get back to the hospital. He really couldn't stay any longer.

Dad took us to the airport this time instead of Edward's parents. He seemed to enjoy Edward being in the back seat, because every time he'd look in the rear view mirror, he would smirk, but then his gaze would shift to Mason and he wouldn't look as amused.

After getting checked in at the airport, I hung back at security to say goodbye to him. We embraced for several minutes, just enjoying being so close. "I love you, Dad." I whispered into his shoulder. "I've really enjoyed spending time with you."

He grunted and pulled out of the hug. I wanted to laugh because Charlie really wasn't great with emotions. "Love you too, Bells. And I'm glad you're happy. You deserve love in your life."

I smiled and kissed his cheek before finally turning to go through security. He waited until he saw that I was completely through before finally heading back to the cruiser. I joined everyone at the gate.

Mason was asleep in his father's lap and Alice was nearly passed out against Jasper's shoulder. I shook my head, "What did you guys do after I left that's got you so tired?"

"Mom and Dad wouldn't let us sleep," Alice grumbled. "They insisted that we wouldn't need to be awake today."

I giggled, which caused Alice to glare at me. "Sorry hon, but I'm just used to you being so hyper that grumpy Alice is just kind of funny."

I saw Jasper suck in his cheek and clench his jaw. He wanted to laugh too, he just wouldn't risk angering Alice. "Darlin', it's not Balla's fault that your parents didn't let you go to sleep. You'll regret being mad at her later."

"No I won't," Alice grumbled. But her head was back on Jasper's shoulder and she already had her eyes closed. Jasper smirked at me over her head. Like I said before, Jasper was perfect for Alice.

The plane ride was turning out to be quiet and uneventful. The Cullens and Jasper slept while I caught up on a little reading. I really hadn't bee doing much reading in the past month or so. I had been spending every spare moment with either Mason and Alice, or Mason and Edward, or Edward, or Alice. I'd even had lunch with Jasper at one point to catch up on things had been since college. My social life had spiked since Jake had become one of my patients.

"Bewa?" Mason looked up at me drowsily from his father's lap.

I reached and brushed my fingers through his hair. "What's up Mason?"

He shifted out of his father's lap and into mine. He looked up into my eyes. "Do you wuv me and my Daddy?"

I smiled and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Of course I do, Mason. You know that."

He laid his head on my chest and closed his eyes again. "Do you wuv Daddy like Mommy wuvs Daddy?"

My brow furrowed and I didn't answer. After a few moments of silence, Mason was completely out. How was I supposed to answer that kind of question?

"Hey," Edward's velvet voice drew my attention. His finger hooked under my chin and brought it up so that I was looking at him. "He was just asking a question. There was no hidden meaning behind it."

I hadn't even realized Edward had been awake. He must have been jostled when Mason moved to my lap. I chewed on my lips, "Edward, he asked me if I love you like Tanya loves you. It wasn't past tense." I swallowed hard. "He has to have heard her say that she loves you. And Edward, what if that means she's going to fight us being together? Then Mason's going to hate me because he thinks that I'm getting in the way of his Mom and Dad being together. I don't know what I'll do."

Edward leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, effectively shutting my hysterics down. When I pulled back, he stroked my cheek. "Well, there's nothing she can do. I love you, and she can't stop that."

"Edward," I sighed, fears forgotten, "I love you too."

The moment wasn't as I'd imagined it. I'd thought we'd proclaim ourselves after a passionate night, or over a candle lit dinner. But it was perfect all the same. Edward leaned down and captured my lips in his again.


	14. Complications

"Dear Lord, Bella!" Jane was standing at my office door, fanning herself with a chart. I smiled knowing whose chart it had to be. "How can you be around him all the time? Just a few seconds, and I thought I was going to turn into a pile of goo at his feet."

I giggled and stood up to take the chart from her. "It's not easy, but I find it completely worth it."

Jane shook her head and allowed me to walk ahead to the exam room where Jake was waiting for his PUP3. I spent a few minutes preparing the vaccines and then entered the room where I was nearly knocked over by an over excited Labradoodle.

"Well hello, Jake." I looked down at the chart and my eyes nearly bugged out. "My God, you've gotten big." The once five pound puppy was now verging on forty pounds.

As I lifted Jake up onto the table. I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Edward lips pressed into my neck. "I've missed you."

Shoving back with my elbow, I giggled, "Edward, professional atmosphere." I chastised. "And stop dazzling my staff. They work with heavy equipment and live animals. I need them to be completely aware."

Undeterred by my lecture, Edward nuzzled into my neck. "I didn't dazzle anybody, and if you want me to keep my hands to myself, maybe you shouldn't look quite so tempting."

Rolling my eyes, I wiggled free and pointed to the bench on the other side of the table. "Sit," I pursed my lips as I watched him slump onto the bench. I looked around the room, realizing how empty it felt without Mason. "What time do you get Mason back?"

Edward's expression fell more. He hated when Tanya had Mason. Although I tried to distract him when she did, there were days like yesterday when he'd had to work at the hospital most of the night and I didn't get to see him. "Tanya wants to keep him another night. Apparently her sisters are in town and they aren't ready to say goodbye to him."

Forgetting about the dog on the table for a moment, I made my way to his side of the table and leaning down to press my lips to his in a comforting gesture. Pulling back, I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Baby. Did you take off work tonight to spend time with him?" He simply nodded, closing his eyes and leaning into my touch. I chewed on my lip, not wanting to seem like I was taking advantage of Mason's absence, but knowing that Edward shouldn't be alone tonight. "Would you like me to come over tonight? Maybe I could make you supper and we could watch a movie."

His eyes opened, and I could see the sadness still in them, but he nodded his head. "I think I'd like that."

I leaned down and pressed my lips to his again before moving back to Jake. The exam only took a few moments, then I sent Edward on his way. I would have liked to keep him around, but my staff really had a hard time concentrating when he was around. But I did worry about him. It wasn't like Tanya to ask for extra time with her son. She really didn't seem to like having him around that much. In fact, she usually kept him one night every other week. This would make three nights this week alone. Edward really wasn't handing the separation well.

Several hours later, I made a quick trip to the grocery store. Edward still hadn't learned to keep a stocked pantry and I wanted to make something that might lift his spirits. I was able to get all the ingredients for his favorite dish. Then I picked up a box of Oreos to eat during the movie.

When I got to the house, Edward was nowhere to be found. I let myself in and began working on dinner. I was nearly done when he finally walked in with a bag from blockbuster. Jake came bounding around the corner and tried to knock me over so that he could reach my face.

I scratched him behind the ear, but was too concerned by the look on Edward's face to really give him much attention. He looked like he was on the verge of a serious breakdown. Slowly, I approached him. "Baby, what's the matter? Where have you been?"

He shrugged, "I took Jake for a walk. We went to blockbuster."

My brow furrowed as I tried to place his mood. "Blockbuster is five miles away. You took Jake on a ten mile walk?"

"Yeah," he didn't say anything else. Just looked out the window above the sink.

"Edward," I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. "Tell me what's bothering you. I can't stand to see you like this."

He didn't look down at me like I'd hoped he would. He kept his eyes trained on the same spot. "Nothing's wrong. I just miss Mason."

He was lying. I knew he missed Mason, but he refused to look at me. There was something bothering him and he didn't want me to know about it. I stepped away from him, unable to let this happen again. He wasn't going to shut me out of his life. I turned off the oven, took out the pan, and went into the living room to pick up my stuff.

The sound of my jingling keys must have broke Edward's daze. He was in the living room and at my side almost immediately. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving Edward," I turned up to look at him. I could see confusion in his eyes. "You are not shutting me out again. It destroyed us last time and I'm not going to stick around to watch you do it again."

"Wait!" Edward's hand wrapped around my upper and, and his hold was tight. Fear flashed through his eyes. "Please don't leave me."

I closed my eyes as tears tried to brim to the surface. "Edward, I love you. But how can I stay when you're holding me at arms length?"

His grip on my arm tightened, almost painfully. My eyes flashed to his to see that tears had formed there. Unable to stop myself, I reached up and brushed away a few tears. Edward held my hand to his face. He took a deep shaky breath and began to speak. "Tanya's threatening to hold Mason from me. She says that its inappropriate for me to bring women into his life." He took another deep breath and I stepped closer to him. "I don't know what to do."

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I realized what he was saying. Tanya was making him choose between me and his son. I opened my mouth, hoping that words would reach me, but they didn't so, after a few attempts, I closed it.

He sank down into the closest chair. Since his grip on me hadn't loosened, he brought me down with him. Once sure that I wasn't going to make a run for it, he buried his face in my neck. "Bella, I don't know what to do, because I'm not losing either of you."

We sat there for a few minutes in complete silence. I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Tanya, the woman who had little to no maternal instinct, was threatening to take her child away from his father just to keep us apart. She couldn't handle Mason on a full time basis. I mean, she usually only saw him two times a month. This really made no sense.

Slowly, I tipped Edward's face so that he could look at me. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was splotchy. The picture was truly heartbreaking. He couldn't live without his son. "Edward, you know what you have to do."

He closed his eyes tight, pushing out another tear and shook his head. "Bella, I have no idea what to do. I think she's serious and that's scary. She could take my son away from me. The judges always favor the mother."

My bottom lip slipped between my teeth as I tried to hold it against the trembling. "You have to choose Mason. Edward, your son needs you, and you need him. I know you. It will kill you if you have to go without him. You get antsy during the one night that he's usually gone. Edward, I won't allow you to choose me."

He eyes hardened and he wrapped his arms around me tightly, caging me against his body. "Isabella. Marie. Swan. You are going nowhere. I'm not losing you to Tanya again."

I sunk into him slightly. "Edward, what about Mason? He'll know that you chose me over him. That is not something you want him to think."

"We're not going to lose him," Edward said roughly, emphasizing the word we. "And you aren't going to leave me here by myself." His eyes softened again, he leaned closer and brushed his lips across mine. "Baby, I need you here with me. We can figure this out. Just please, don't leave me."

My heart melted, and I let my lips settle against his for the first time that night. We only separated when we could taste the salt of my tears. "How can we get him back, Edward?"

"I don't know," He leaned his forehead against mine, "But we'll need help."

An hour later, the living room was crowded. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett, who I'd never met before, had been called instantly to try to find out how to get Mason back. And then Edward's lawyer, Jay Jenks, was called, who brought in a few people with him, though I was really too distracted to learn who they were. He brought three men, all rather geekish, and one bombshell blond who Emmett kept eying.

Jay brought with him a whole bunch of paper work. Some previously signed; divorce and custody papers, along with several large books. He spread them out across the coffee table and began to speak to Edward in words that I just didn't understand.

I got up and made coffee for everyone because it seemed like this was going to be a really long night. Jasper followed to help me, because Alice was enthralled with the conversation. I'd never seen her so angry as when Edward told her what Tanya was doing.

"Hey, how are you holdin' up?" Jasper asked as he pulled down as many mugs as possible.

I peeked out into the living room and watched Edward pull at the ends of his hair. "I'm not gonna lie, I've been better." I turned my attention back to Jasper. "He shouldn't be doing this. Mason needs him. And it's not fair to put him through this just so we can stay together."

Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder as my voice rose an octave or two. "Hey, hey. Relax, Bells." I tried to control my breathing, using Jasper to ground myself. "Bells, you are worth it."

Tears burned my eyes, "But I'm not." I shook my head furiously and the tears began to slip across my lids.

"Bells, look at me." My eyes met Jasper's clear blue ones and an eerie calm settled over me. "You are worth it. I haven't known Edward for very long, but during the few months that y'all weren't together, nobody but Mason could stand to be around him. He was always moody, and just didn't want to deal with anyone." He squeezed my shoulders to make sure that I was paying attention. "He's changed so much since you've come back into his life. He sees his family again, he's accepted me, and he actually smiles. Bella, I never saw a real smile on his face before you came along. He won't make it if you're not here anymore."

"But Mason," I whispered.

"Will be fine. We are not going to let Mason get taken away from us." He pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tightly. "You need to calm down, because Edward needs you right now. This could get messy."

I took a few deep calming breaths before pulling back and smiling up at him. "Thanks, I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed."

Smiling back, he began to help me get the coffee into different mugs and getting the condiments that people might need. We walked back into the living room and dolled out the mugs. I took my place on the arm of the couch next to Edward. He reached out and squeezed my calf gently, the only sign that he knew I was still there.

Jay looked up at me speculatively. I knew that look. He wasn't sure I was worth all this trouble either. "Edward, this isn't going to be easy. Since you and Tanya were so easy going about the custody to begin with, this sudden change is going to cause trouble."

Edward must have noticed the way he eyed me, because he reached out and tangled our fingers together. "I don't care what it takes. I want full custody. She can't do this to me, ever again."

"Okay," Jay seemed to get the message, because he began to gather up his stuff. "Well then I'll get this started. I'll get back to you tomorrow."

Of course Emmett took his chance to make his move. "Hey, Rosie." He walked right up to the blonde bombshell "What do you say we get together and go over this in private?"

The blonde just raised an eyebrow at him before saying. "The name is Rosalie." Then she turned and flipped her hair in his face as she turned to leave.

We all burst into laughter the moment that she was out of the house. Emmett just smiled as he watched her go. Clearly, he wasn't deterred.

"Okay," Alice dragged our attention away from the spectacle that had just been made. "So I think we're going to go home. There's really nothing else we can do until we hear from Jay." She leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek. "I'm glad you're finally doing this."

He nodded and we slowly said our goodbyes to everyone. Soon, we were by ourselves again. We both slumped down on the couch. Exhaustion weighing down on us heavily, Edward pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head. "I love you," was all he whispered before we both fell asleep.


	15. Hope

_AN: I don't know the inner workings of the legal system. My writings are unlikely to be accurate because what I know, I know from things like TV shows and movies. If something is not correct, I apologize, but it was written for entertainment value and not for accuracy.

* * *

_I woke up in an oddly comfortable position. I was in Edward's arms, and we were both sitting on his couch. Somehow I'd managed to keep my head in a position that prevented me from getting in crick in my neck. Looking up at Edward, I was sure he wasn't going to be so lucky. I was sitting with my back to his chest, and his head had dropped down onto my shoulder. He was going to wish that we'd made it to the bed.

I looked over at the clock flashing under the TV. It was just after eight on a Sunday morning. Usually, right now, Edward and I would be cuddled up, fully clothed, in his bed and Mason would come bounding in, talking about cartoons. Then I'd get up and make breakfast before everyone finally got dressed. Soon, we'd be at the park or going to see a movie, it didn't really matter what. We just had to do it together.

I snuggled closer to Edward. It really hurt me that Mason wasn't here. We'd only had this schedule going on about five weeks, and yet, it seemed like the way it should be. While I enjoyed my nights alone with Edward, I missed Mason terribly. I loved him too.

The phone rang, jostling Edward. He straightened up and groaned in pain as he reached for the phone. "Hello?" His voice was groggy. We really hadn't gotten enough sleep. It amazed me that Jay came in as late as he had. Edward must wield more power than he knows.

He sat up straight, pushing me up with him. I heard his spine crack and I winced. "Yeah, we can come in. What did you find?"

Edward stood and I heard more cracking and he winced this time. Clearly, sleeping on the couch was no longer an option for us. "Okay, Jay. Just let me shower and change, then we'll be out that way.

Edward held his hand out to help me up. "Wanna take a shower?"

"Sure," I let him help me off the couch, "but can you keep your hands to yourself. It sounds like Jay wants to say something to us."

He smirked, "I don't make any promises."

I shoved him lightly, which made him chuckle. I'm not sure what was said over the phone, but clearly Edward had hope, because I hadn't seen him this playful since Tanya took Mason two days ago.

While in the shower, I helped him relax his muscles, while he tried to help me find other ways to relax. I couldn't help but giggle when he pouted at my pushing his hands away. I grabbed his face with my hands and reached up to kiss him. "Concentrate, Edward. Your son."

He nodded, "Okay, Mason. Got it." Then he looked down at me and it seemed that he'd forgotten again. His lips descended upon mine, and his hands secured themselves on my hips, closing the little space that existed between us.

Lifting me right off my feet, to which I had to wrap my legs around his waist. It was something he'd quickly learned to use to get me in the position he wanted. And once I felt how much he wanted me, it was hard to argue. He pressed my back against the wall, steadying me before slowly lowering me onto him.

"Bella," he groaned as we made full connection. "God, you have no idea how much I need you." I could tell by the tone of his voice, he wasn't just speaking physically.

I attached my lips to his and told him how much I needed him too. I may have acted strong and told Edward to chose Mason, but it would have killed me if he had actually done so. I could never handle being without him again. Now that I knew what my life could be like with him and Mason, any other way just seemed impossible.

Edward pressed me into the wall with more force as he began to pump in and out of me. "Edward," I whimpered as he sped his movements.

"Just hold on for me, baby," he groaned. "I need to be with you for just a little bit longer." I bit down on my lip and nodded, not wanting to lose the connection either.

He leaned in and nipped at my chin until my mouth dropped open, releasing my lip for him. Immediately, he took it between his lips and ran his tongue across it, soothing the pain that my own teeth had caused.

Breathing broken, heart rates racing, we were so close. I could actually feel Edward pulse inside me. I couldn't hold out any longer. My body immediately pulled him in farther, choking him so that movement was limited. He groaned out as the smallest movement created the most intense friction. And my body released, everything in me letting go. I felt Edward release into me as well, his thrust jerky, before finally slowing down and stopping.

His head dropped to my shoulder as his weight held both of us against the wall. He breath brushed across my wet chest. He laughed, "Sorry, I seem to have a one track mind."

Brushing my hands through his damp hair, I simply hummed my agreement. Right now, in the after glow, I just couldn't find it in myself to really care. We'd both needed that release. After the stressful night and our relationship hanging on its breaking point, we needed to show each other that we really did still love the other.

An hour later, we were clean, dry, dressed, and in the car on the way to Jay's office. "Edward, how are you getting this man to work for you on days and during times that he should be off work?"

Edward chuckled, "He kind of owes me. I got him out of a mess a few years ago. He tried to get me for malpractice, but trust me, that didn't go over so well. He hadn't bothered to check the legitimacy of his client's claim, figuring it would have just been an easy pay day."

My brow furrowed, "If he was prosecuting you, why would you help him?"

Shrugging, he turned into what I assumed was Jay's parking lot. "It was what my parents would have wanted me to do."

Edward just continued to amaze me. We made our way inside. I did gain a few sneers from the female staff moving about the office, but I was quickly becoming accustomed to that. Taking Edward off the market was not something that the female population wanted, with the exception of me, of course.

Rosalie greeted us in front of Jay's door. "Good morning, Edward, Bella." She pushed her glasses, which she had not been wearing last night, into place as she studied the folder in front of her. "Go on in, Jay's expecting you." It amazed me that the glasses only added to how good Rosalie looked. I could imagine the dirty librarian fantasies that would run through Emmett's mind if he saw her now.

Edward opened the door and pulled me in. The office was cozy, but had a dark color scheme. There were two leather chairs in front of the desk and Edward and I each sat in one. He squeezed my hand for a reassurance, but I couldn't quite tell who he was trying to reassure.

Jay looked up at us and smiled. It was hard not to notice the deep purple beneath his eyes that led me to believe he'd been up all night trying to work though this. "Well your background check came back clean, Dr. Swan."

My gaze turned to Edward, "You had a background check run on me?"

Edward shook his head, his brow furrowed slightly, and we both turned back to Jay, "I actually had that done, Dr. Swan. It was necessary for the case."

I relaxed slightly. I couldn't stand the idea of Edward feeling the need to do such a thing. He knew everything there was to know about me, and he knew I would never keep anything from him.

"Dr. Swan," Jay drew my attention back to him. "Miss Denali's main case is she doesn't trust Edward bringing strange women into his son's life. We need to have proof for the court that you weren't a strange woman, Dr. Swan."

"Call me Bella, please." I didn't mind being called by my title, but it made me feel a little tense. Like when the police had refused to call me by my name, instead calling me Miss.

He smiled and nodded, "Well, Bella, the check came back completely clean. There's nothing here for them to pin on you. Graduated Fork's High School, University of Arizona, Vet School in North Carolina, daughter of a police chief. The only run in you've had with the police is when you were nearly mugged. And I see that Edward was involved in that as well." He tapped his pen on the desk thoughtfully, " hope they don't try to make a big deal out of that."

"How could they make a big deal out of the that?' Edward sat a little straighter in his seat. "A mugging is not something that can be prevented by who you are."

Jay nodded, "It's not the mugging itself as the fact that you both had to spend time in the police station. If her lawyer is good enough, they can twist it to appear that it was something different." He looked down at the check. "They aren't going to be able to find anything else here. Business owner, clean record, nothing strange or out of place."

"Is that why you called us in?" I found reading my record to us not worthy of his time.

"Oh, no," he smiled up at us. "Due to your current custody situation, the equal joint custody, Tanya cannot hold Mason from you. She will have to let you see him."

Excitement bubbled in my chest, but I pushed it down. It was too early to let that happen. I knew custody battles were messy, though not from experience. My parents had the same type of set up as Edward and Tanya, except that my father never pushed for more time with me. My extended time with him in high school was of my own choosing. "Does that mean that she'll have to let him stay with Edward?"

I must have popped a hole in his explanation, because his smile faltered. "No," he tapped his pen on the desk again, obviously a nervous habit. "I'm afraid that, at this moment, she can treat you as if you only have visitation rights. And she will refuse those rights if Bella is with you."

My stomach fluttered with something more fatal than butterflies as I realized that I may not be able to see Mason again. Edward's grasp on my hand tightened and I looked over to see that his eyes were shut and his jaw was clenched. "Why is she doing this to me? She doesn't want full custody of Mason?"

Jay's brow furrowed, "Do you have proof of this?"

"Yes," Edward's eyes flew open, though his grip on my hand didn't loosen. "I have emails."

"How recent?" Jay pushed my file away as he opened his laptop. Clearly, this was important news to him.

"I have close to six or seven saved in my inbox from before Bella and I started dating. The emails stopped then. She began to call me more often to yell at me."

Jay turned his computer to face us. "Print them out. If nothing else, it can prevent her from going for full custody."

Edward immediately went to work, pulling up several emails, each one with Tanya sowing her unwillingness to take Mason.

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** Mason

Edward

I can't take Mason on any of those days. I don't care if Alice is busy. My work is just too hectic right now. Just get a baby sitter. Tell him that he can spend the night next month.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** Home

Edward

Alice asked me today if I was planning on taking Mason with me to see my family. Why would I do that? Mason wouldn't be able to go to the clubs with my sisters and I. And you know that my parents really can't take care of him. I'll be back in a few weeks. We'll discuss this more later.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** This Weekend

Edward

I will not take Mason this weekend if you are going to be ridiculous about this. I don't care what Disney movie is coming out. I'm not taking him to a movie theater. He'll try to sneak away and then I'll have to spend my night looking for him. If you want him to go to the movies on opening night, you can take him.

Tanya

**To:** Tanya Denali

**From:** Edward Cullen

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE: This Weekend

Tanya

Please take him to the movie. He's been looking forward to it for months. I romised him that he'd get to go when it came out. You told me you'd take him to the theater.

Edward

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE: This Weekend

Edward

You promised him that you'd take him, not me. And when you told me to take him, you didn't tell me what the movie was. If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed. It's not worth the stress.

Tanya

**To:** Tanya Denali

**From:** Edward Cullen

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE: This Weekend

Tanya

Your son rarely asks for anything. He wants to go to a movie. Is it really so hard for you to do that for him?

Edward

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE:RE: This Weekend

Edward

Don't put this on me. You're the on who made this promise to him. I'm not bound to it.

Tanya

**To:** Tanya Denali

**From:** Edward Cullen

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE:RE:RE: This Weekend

Tanya

Fine, Mason will go to the Theater with Alice and her boyfriend. But you need to make this weekend up to him. He thought he was going to get to see you. You don't have to be the one to see his face when his mother doesn't want to spend time with him.

Edward

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** My Couch

Edward

Your son has just ruined a $5,000 couch. You will be replacing it. And grape juice will be off his diet permanently.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** Daycare

Edward

We need to discuss putting Mason in school so that you can work during the day. I'm not sure that this arrangement is going to work for me anymore. I can't have him over here anymore. He trips over thin air and then cries. Edward, he won't stop crying. What am I supposed to do with a crying child? And then when he's not crying, he's asking questions. I can't stand the incessant questioning anymore. Your son is driving me crazy, Edward.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** Dog

Edward

Mason wants to get a dog. I don't have time for a dog. Try to talk im out of it.

Tanya

**To:** Tanya Denali

**From:** Edward Cullen

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE: Dog

Tanya

Just explain it to him. He'll understand if you don't want a dog in the house. He's smart enough to accept that.

Edward

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE: Dog

Edward

Don't make me do that. Just tell him that he can't have a dog.

Tanya

**To:** Tanya Denali

**From:** Edward Cullen

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE: Dog

Tanya

He didn't ask me for a dog. You have to be the one that tells him no. If he wanted a dog here, he'd ask me, and I'd get him one.

Edward.

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE:RE: Dog

Edward

Fine, be the more fun parent. I don't care. I'll get a dog, and then you can take it and Mason. I don't care anymore. It's not worth fighting with you over anymore. Take your son and leave me be.

Tanya

* * *

Each email surprised me. How could anyone feel this way about Mason? The woman had absolutely no maternal instinct. She had no sympathy for her son when he'd been hurt. I knew how often Mason fell, but she seemed to be the only one who actually let him hit the floor.

Jay flipped through the emails smiling. "She's dug herself into a really deep hole."


	16. Hitting Rock Bottom

I went home while Edward went to visit Mason. Neither of us liked the arrangement, but Edward needed to see his son and I wasn't going to let him give up any opportunity to do so.

When I got to the house, I could see Alice's yellow Porsche parked along the street. It was hard to miss, especially outside of my modest home. I got out and went inside to see her sitting on my couch. "Alice, I don't remember giving you a key."

She shrugged, "You still act like you live in Forks. Hiding your spare key in your plant next to the door is not safe, Bella."

"It worked for me until today," I mumbled before sticking my tongue out at her. "So what's up? I wasn't expecting to see you today?"

She shrugged, "I had a feeling that you would need company today. Usually you and Edward do like 'family day' or something like that with Mason."

"We do," I nodded, "But Tanya won't let him see Mason while I'm around, so I forced him to go visit his son without me. I'll still be here when he's done."

"So," Alice said excitedly, too excitedly I realized. I couldn't stop myself from grimacing as I realized where this must be going. "Since you're free for most of the day, why don't we go shopping?"

I snorted, "Because I don't want to."

"Bella," Alice pouted. Damn Cullen pout. "I barely see you now that Edward and you are officially together. I mean, we didn't even do lunch together this week. You can't push me out of your life."

"Fine," I really couldn't put up a fight against the Cullen pout. It just didn't work that way. "I'll go shopping with you. But you are NOT to spend massive amounts of money on me. I absolutely forbid it."

The twinkle in Alice's eye as she agreed that she wouldn't spend much money on me should have forewarned me. I was literally three stores in and was carrying more clothes than were in my closet already. "ALICE! You can't be serious. This is way too much money. You promised."

She smiled as she held up a sleek black credit card, "And I'm not. Edward is."

My jaw dropped, "Alice, does Edward know that you have that?"

She giggled, "Of course he does. Do you think that I would really steal my brother's credit card? Have a little faith, Bella." She smirked, "Edward gave it to me so that I could take you shopping. It appears that he has a few special dates in mind for the near future."

I groaned and scrubbed my face. I should have seen that coming. Edward had not tried to buy me ANYTHING, and that was simply out of character for him. I'd assumed that he'd understood my distaste for being spoiled. Instead, he was being sneaky with Alice. "Why can't you two understand that I don't like people to spend money on me?"

"Bella, you're being ridiculous." She placed one hand on her hip and stared up at me. "One day, you and Edward will be married. And then you will have no choice but to let us spend money on you because we will be family and that's what family does. You might as well get used to it."

"Alice, you're getting ahead of yourself." I couldn't let her paint that picture for me. "Right now, there are more important things to think about, like if Edward will be able to get full custody of Mason."

Alice waved me off, "Tanya won't be able to hold that. She doesn't even see her son twelve times a year. The court won't be able to give her custody on good conscious. Trust me, Bella. We really have nothing to worry about."

I wanted to believe that. Mason belonged with Edward. I didn't know much about Tanya's parenting, but I knew the emails that I had read this morning scared me more than just a little. She had more important things going on in her life than her son, and she made that quite clear. "Do think she'll try to go through with this?"

Alice shrugged, "It's really hard to tell. I mean, Tanya's one of those people who don't give up when they want something. But she doesn't want Mason. Hopefully that will outweigh her want for Edward."

Alice dragged me into another store, "You think she still loves Edward?"

"Tanya never really loved Edward, Bella." She began picking things up and handing them to me. "She always wanted Edward. I don't know if Tanya can love. We were friends, but never close, and I don't really know how close she is to her own family. But she always wanted Edward. And she's probably convinced herself that she loves him."

That wasn't comforting. If she never gave up on what she wanted, what would she be willing to do to get Edward back. The possibilities seemed endless and they all revolved around their son.

Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Bella, stop that. No matter what she does, we'll figure this out. Don't forget who you're dealing with. We're Cullens, and we're strong. We'll get Mason."

I nodded, but I could tell that I hadn't convinced her. I still couldn't believe that Tanya had done this in the first place. What kind of person held a man's son hostage with her ransom being that he couldn't be the woman that he loved?

My phone vibrated on the chair of the dressing room as I worked on shimmying into one of the dresses that Alice had shoved me in here with. I looked down to see a text from Edward. 'Mason says that he misses you.'

My heart contracted as I read. It was incredible that this man and his son were my life. 'Tell him I miss him too, and that I hope here's having fun with his mom.' I prayed that Tanya wasn't making this hard on her son. It was bad enough that she was using him as leverage.

"Bella," Alice snapped. "I want to see that dress."

Rolling my eyes, I slid the straps over my shoulders before making my way out of the dressing room to get her help in zipping me up. Alice clapped and squealed once I was completely dressed. "It's so perfect. I had a feeling, but I can't believe it." She shook her head a smile on her face. "It's a good thing that Edward's paying for this, because I'm not going to pay for something just so that he can rip it to pieces at the end of the night."

I ducked my head as the tell tale blush made it's appearance. It wasn't hard to induce my blush, and Alice had figured out all the buttons to push. She just laughed and pushed me back into the dressing room. "Seriously, Bella. You're going to have to get over that. Cullens don't hide their sex lives from each other. We can't. We're all too nosy."

I giggled in response. That was true.

The rest of the afternoon saw an additional eleven shopping bags added to my collection with nine of them being from Victoria Secret. Finally Alice seemed appeased. She took me home, where I began to rummage around without really thinking. I hadn't gotten a message from Edward in several hours, and I was really missing him. I didn't want to pull him from Mason, though. I didn't know when his next chance to see him would be.

At about seven, I finally decided to make myself something to eat and at eleven, I put myself to bed with my phone on full sound right by my head. If Edward needed me, I wanted to be ready for him.

I dozed off and at around three was awoken by an irritating knocking on the door. Stumbling out of bed, I tried to get my head together and figure out who would be knocking on my door. When I got there, I was surprised to find Edward being held by a police officer.

"Good evening, Miss," the officer said gruffly. I didn't look at him, instead holding eye contact with Edward trying to ascertain that he was okay. His eyes were red rimmed and he smelled heavily of alcohol.

The police officer finally brought my attention to him. "I found him passed out near the entrance of the zoo. I was finally able to get him to tell me to bring him here. Is it alright to leave him with you?"

"Of course," I immediately reached out for Edward, gripping his arm, hoping that the police officer would let go of him. "Thank you for escorting him home."

The officer must have loosened his grip on Edward, because he slipped past me, into my house, leaving me alone to deal with the officer. We both watched him slump down on my couch and dropped his head into his hands. "Thanks again," I mumbled without removing my eyes from the dejected form in my living room.

The police officer said something about calling him if I needed anything, but I wasn't really paying attention. When he was gone, I closed the door and went directly to Edward.

Kneeling down on the floor in front of him, I placed a hand on his knee. "Baby, you need to tell me what's going on." I squeezed the skin under my hand, hoping it was a comforting gesture. "Why did he find you passed out at the zoo?" The idea was completely beyond me.

"Mason wanted to go to the zoo," he whispered, "but Tanya wouldn't let me take him."

Rubbing my hand gently up and down his thigh, I hoped to coax him into looking up at me. I couldn't fix this, but I hoped to let him know that I was here with him for as long as he wanted me. "You can take Mason to the zoo as soon as this is over."

Edward dropped his hands away from his face, taking my hand between them, clasping it tightly. "He was so unhappy, Bella." His eyes lifted to meet mine, and my chest constricted as I realized how many steps back we'd taken. My Edward was hidden from me again.

Reaching up with my free hand, I stroked his face. "Baby, that's why we have to fight for him." He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. Though I hated having his eyes hidden from me, I reveled in the small amount of comfort he found in my presence. "We'll do anything we have to, to get him back."

His eyes fluttered open, and I could see that they suddenly looked quite sobered. "Not anything, Bella. I will not give you up. And I most certainly won't go crawling back to Tanya."

I stroked the apple of his cheek, trying to decipher his expression. It had hardened, but his anger was not toward me. He seemed to be looking right through me as he spoke. "Baby, what happened today?"

Edward tugged on the hand in his grasp until I lifted myself into his lap. He laid his head on my shoulder and inhaled deeply. We sat there for a few moments before he finally answered my question. "After I put Mason to bed, Tanya tried to seduce me. She told me that if I'd come back to her, this would all be over. She even went as far as to say that if I just slept with her, she'd stop holding Mason hostage."

My mind filled with rage and I was seeing red. How dare she? Mason needed his father, someone to love him, and Tanya was going to keep them both unhappy just so that she could get off.

Edward nuzzled into my neck. I couldn't believe that she'd sink so low. "Bella, I haven't slept with her since we conceived Mason. And the idea of doing it now, when I have you, made me sick." I felt his tears soaking through the fabric of my shirt. "What if we can't get him back?"

I ran my fingers through his hair, scratching the scalp lightly. "We will. If there's one thing I know, it's that you will have Mason. If the emails don't work to convince the judge, then we'll figure something else out." I lifted his face pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Right now, though. We're going to go to bed, because we're both tired. And you're going to want to sober up some so you can see Mason again tomorrow."

Hugging me closer, Edward placed a lingering kiss on my lips, tasting heavily of liquor still. Then he helped me to my feet and we went to bed. I wasn't sure how, but we were going to get Mason back. Edward wouldn't survive we didn't.


	17. Determined

The court date was looming close in the distance. Jay was confident that were going to win, but I couldn't quite get myself to feel the same assurance, and something told me that Edward wasn't as optimistic either. Edward had spent at least a couple of hours with his son everyday since he was able to. There had not been a repeat of the night the police brought him to me, but he told me that Tanya's offer was renewed each time he went to see Mason.

Tonight, Alice had convinced us that we needed to do something for us. We had been so wrapped up in the trial that the only time we were really alone together was when he slept. Edward had practically moved into my house, not wanting to be at his without Mason.

I put on the dress that Alice had told me that Edward would rip from my body. I suppose it was wrong, but I needed Edward, and I had a feeling that he needed me too. I want to prove to him that I was still here, and I didn't want to go anywhere. I knew that if I had to, I'd leave so that Edward could get his son, but I prayed hat we'd be able to find another option.

"You ready to go, Bella?" Edward stuck his head into what had become our bedroom and froze. I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched his eyes devour me. "When did you get that?"

"A few weeks ago," I pulled self consciously at the hem of the dress. "Alice used your card. I hope you like it."

He chuckled and shook his head, "I knew letting Alice have control of my account would pay off one day." He reached out his hand for mine and then twirled me so that the skirt flared out around me. "You look incredible. I don't think I want to share you with anyone else. I think we should stay in."

Smiling, I practically collapsed in his arms. For a moment, it was nice to just be Edward and Bella. Not to have to worry about his ex or the pending trial. Of course it was always on our minds, even now, when everything was perfect between us, but I continued to savor the moment.

Jake nudged my exposed leg and whimpered. I couldn't help but laugh. "Edward, your dog is an attention whore."

He shrugged, "It's just the natural reaction of the male species to you."

Rolling my eyes I slipped out of Edward arms to lock Jake in the bathroom. He'd gotten far too big for a crate and I didn't want to leave him outside where someone could take him. While I didn't think Jake wanted to leave us, if he saw anyone who reminded him of Mason, he might just go after them.

Edward took me to the same little restaurant as our first alone date. It was nice to be here again. It made me feel less like the world was falling down around us.

Edward must have felt it too, because he smiled and talked freely the entire time that we were there. I saw new determination in his eyes and I wondered if he'd found something else out that he'd yet to tell me.

We didn't rush supper as I thought we would after Edward's reaction to my dress, but we'd just taken our time with everything. He'd even gone so far as to order a big desert for us to share, which of course I'd loved. Double Hot Chocolate brownie with a scoop of ice cream for each of us.

Then we'd made a slow leisurely walk through the park close by. A slight chill had set in, so Edward hung his jacket from my shoulders and we walked hand in hand. Occasionally, he'd lean down, brushing his lips across my temple. It amazed me how the lightest touch sent shivers through me that had nothing to do with the chill of the Arizona nights.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked quietly.

Leaning into his side, I shrugged, "Just how nice tonight is. We've been so stressed recently that I forgot what it feels like just to spend a night out with you."

We continued to walk peacefully through the park, eventually finding a bench at which he pulled me down. Turning my body so it faced his, Edward brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. "I know this trial has been more stressful on you than need be. You have a life outside of Mason and I, and it's really unfair for me to expect you to be here with me through it all."

I lifted my hand to his face, "Edward, you're being ridiculous." I stroked the apple of his cheek with my thumb and he leaned into my touch. "You and Mason mean more to me than you'll ever know. I'm going to be here with you as long as you need me, no matter what they throw our way."

"I'll need you forever, Isabella," he whispered the words so softly that I couldn't believe that I'd heard him. He licked his bottom lip before sliding off the bench to kneel in front of me. My breath caught in my throat as I realized what he was doing. He pulled a small velvet box out of his pant pocket, bringing it up and opening it for my inspection. "I have spent too much of my life wishing that it was you who I'd been with all those years ago. You are the only woman that I have ever loved and I have been in love with you since eleventh grade biology."

I tried to rack my brain for a way to close my mouth as he continued to speak, but my jaw continued to hang agape. "As if all the reasons for loving you in high school weren't enough, you have become so much more. You have become more of a mother to my son than Tanya ever was. You still fit into my family seamlessly, and you and I fit together like two puzzle pieces. You have me, heart, body and soul."

He slipped the ring out of the box, holding it up for my closer inspection. It was gorgeous, and I wasn't sure that I'd ever seen another like it. "Bella, I want you at my side forever. Maybe some would think it was too early, but I can't go another day knowing that you aren't mine. Please, Bella, will you marry me?"

It was the longest proposal I'd ever heard. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but I'd only been thinking hours ago how I would go if he couldn't get Mason back without me doing so. My breath stopped at the idea. How would I life with out him again? My eyes widened as I realized that I couldn't. I couldn't see a life outside of the one that I'd created with Edward. Though I'd convinced myself that I would leave, I wasn't so sure anymore that I could have. Edward may think that he was selfish, but I was so much more. "Edward, what if the only way that you can get Mason back is if you cut me out of your life? What will the judge think if you are unwilling to let me go? It's not going to look good."

I could see the frustration in his eyes, and I felt it too. I so badly just wanted to say yes and throw myself into his arms. But I was so afraid that he was going to resent me if he didn't get his son back. "Isabella, WE will get Mason back. I can't and won't do this without you."

My breath caught in my throat as I saw the determination set in his eyes. "Bella," he whispered. "I can't live without you anymore. I've tried, and it's unbearable. You are my other half."

A tear slid from m eye and down my cheek. "I want to be with you forever, Edward," the words were a mere whisper on my lips. "It would kill me to be separated for my again, but I won't live with the knowledge that I'm keeping you from your son."

Edward reached up and brushed away the tears that had appeared as I'd spoken. "We will get Mason back. I know I've been nervous, but the emails alone are enough to get me full custody. And we're going to walk into that courtroom a united front. You are not just some passing fling. You are a constant in both my and Mason's life, and positive one." He had yet to lower the ring, and I knew he wouldn't. Not until he'd convinced me to accept it. We were both stubborn, but I was breaking quickly. "I want you to stay in our lives, and the judge is going to know this. The judge is going to know that you make me better for Mason, because one day, you will be as much a mother to him as any children that you and I have."

I couldn't push the image away, it invaded my mind. Mason sitting next to me on the couch, looking curiously into a bundle of blankets in my arms while Edward leaned over the back of the couch smiling down on us. It made such a beautiful picture and I ached for it. I wanted to have children with Edward, create a family with him and that just didn't seem possible without Mason.

"Please, Bella," Edward whispered.

I nodded my head, "Yes," the word fell from my lips, lifting a heavy weight from my chest. "Yes, Edward I will marry you. And we WILL get Mason back, because he belongs with us." The truth of my own words striking deeply in my chest.

The ring was quickly slipped on my finger and I was on my feet. Edward's arms securely wrapped around me and our lips attached together in a way that made me think no one would be able to separate them.

Edward turned his head slightly to the side and opened his mouth over mine. I opened my mouth in response and his tongue delved in, tasting and exploring before stroking mine. I couldn't help the low moan deep in my throat, as moisture pooled between my legs. In response, Edward's hand fisted in the material at the small of my back, like he would rip it from my skin.

A clearing of throat behind Edward pulled us from our bubble. Without disentangling ourselves,we turned to see a rather old couple staring at us. The older woman was pursing her lips at us while the gentleman looked like he was trying not to laugh. "Excuse me," the woman said. "This is a public park. If you must insist on doing such things, take them to a more private location."

I bit down on my bottom lip and ducked my head into Edward's chest, where I could feel the vibrations of his laughter. "I'm sorry," he said as he rubbed his hand up and down my back. "I got a little carried away because she's agreed to marry me."

"Congratulations," the gentleman said and I could hear the smile in his voice. I peeked around Edward to see the older man bending down to kiss his wife on the cheek, causing her expression to soften.

"Yes, congratulations," she murmured as she looked up at her husband a little dazed.

I couldn't help but smile as I watched him lead her away. I imagined that was how Edward and I would be fifty years from now. I'm sure that even as an old man he'd be able to dazzle me into doing his will. I couldn't stop the giggle that slipped through my lips.

Edward looked down at me smiling, "What's got you giggling?"

I shifted up on my toes and brushed my lips over his. "Nothing," I smiled as I lowered myself back on to my heels and looked up into his glazed eyes.

He shook his head before chuckling, "You are one very dangerous woman, Miss Swan."

Leaving his arm wrapped around my waist, he began to walk me back to his Volvo so that he could fulfill all the promise of pleasure that I saw in his eyes.


	18. Family

I stood on the courthouse steps with Edward, twisting the ring on my left hand nervously. Edward was pacing a few steps down from me as we waited for the rest of his family to arrive. Carlisle and Esme were flying in this morning to support their son, and Alice and Jasper had gone to get them from the Airport, not wanting to chance them being late and delaying Edward's entrance into the trial.

I placed my hand on Edward's shoulder as he passed me again. "Edward, please stop pacing. You're making me feel like I'm going to be sick."

Edward's shoulder slumped slightly under my hand. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just really need for my parents to be here."

I tightened my grip on his shoulder, causing him to look up at me. "I know," I said as I looked between his troubled green eyes. "And they will be here. They promised they would and they would never let anyone separate Mason from you. They love you both too much."

I could feel Edward's body relax slightly. He opened his arms and I stepped down into them, knowing that he needed me there, that he needed the comfort of my body against his. He rubbed his hands up and down my back and rested his face in the crook of my neck. I could feel his erratic heart beat and breathing as he tried to calm himself so that he could deal with the trial.

"Oh my God," I heard Esme's voice, much closer than I would have expected her to be as I had not heard her approach. Then I was being ripped from Edward's arms so Esme could examine my left hand. I blushed as she reached out and swatted her son. "I can't believe you two got engaged and didn't tell me."

I heard Carlisle chuckle as he finally made it to us. I wondered how far away Esme had been when she's spotted the ring because she'd left Carlisle in the dust to get to us. "Give them a chance to breathe, darling. They've had other, more pressing matters on their minds."

Esme gave Carlise the Cullen pout, and I saw his eyes waiver. Even the great Dr. Carlisle Cullen was not immune to this trick, it appeared. "Esme," I said drawing her eyes away from Carlisle so that he could work his brain again. "We wanted to tell you in person. It just didn't seem right telling something like this over the phone." Esme appeared mollified by my explanation.

"Dear lord, mother," Alice huffed as she climbed up the never ending steps. I thought it odd that she was not her usually bouncy self, but on a day like today, I couldn't blame her. "If I had known that you could run like that, you would never get away with that ridiculously slow pace you take in the mall."

Esme took my left hand and waved it for Alice to see. "There were pressing matters to attend to."

Alice snorted and continued to walk past us up the courthouse steps. I shot a frantic glance at Jasper, but he was already bounding after her. Though Alice already knew of the engagement, I had not expected such a poor reaction to her parents finding out. This was what she had wanted. Ever since that first day that we'd had lunch, that was all she could talk about.

Edward and I glanced at each other. Neither of us could imagine what had caused her sour mood. Even with the current situation, she had always been nothing but optimistic. She'd actually been the one to keep me strong when I had faltered in my belief that we would get Mason back.

"Oh dear," Esme said. She exchanged a look with Carlisle. "I suppose we really should make our way in."

Carlisle nodded, but didn't say anything. He just seemed to be watching after his daughter as she stormed into the courthouse, away from Jasper.

Edward took my hand and began to lead me up the stairs. He was being discreet, but I knew he was making sure that I didn't trip and break something. Now would definitely not be the time to take a hospital trip, though I did have two doctors at my disposal.

Jasper came racing back out, he looked desperate, then he locked his gaze with mine. "Bella," he gasped. "I need your help."

My brow furrowed, but he didn't give me time to question him, because he ripped me from Edward's grasp and pulled me into the courthouse. "Jasper," I somehow got out. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," he said and I couldn't ignore the shaking of his voice. "She's locked herself in the bathroom and she won't talk to me. I don't know what to do."

I groaned. I loved Alice, I really did, but today was not the day for me to be away from Edward. This type of drama was just not something that I could handle. But this was not normal Alice behavior, so I could not ignore it.

Jasper stopped short, causing me to run into him at a bathroom. I looked at it cautiously. What in the world could be going on in Alice's mind? Why was she acting this way on this of all mornings. Stepping up to the door, I knocked lightly, not wanting to scare her. "Alice, honey?" I said as calmly as I could. "Alice, what's the matter?"

I could hear muffled sniffling, but other than that, I got no answer. So I tried again, "Alice, will you please open the door? You shouldn't be in there by yourself." I couldn't help the small humorless chuckle. "You've never liked to go to a public restroom by yourself."

I heard a tiny giggle escape her lips in response, but it was too close to a sob to satisfy me. "Please, Alice." I placed my palm on the door, as if I could offer my comfort from this spot. "Please let me in."

I was surprised when I herd the click of heels. The door unlocked, but didn't open. I looked back into Jasper's anxious eyes and he nodded me forward. I knew that he wanted to be the one to go in, but he wasn't going to upset her further.

I opened the door and entered, locking it again before making my way toward Alice. Though it was a multi-stall bathroom and it wasn't courteous of me to do so, I didn't want someone to walk in and interrupt whatever progress I was able to make with Alice.

When I reached her, she was sitting on the sink counter, hands folded in her lap, eyes on her hands. "Alice?" I asked cautiously. "what's going on?"

She looked up at me, her eyes red from the tears that slanted down her cheeks, but her make up perfect. Only Alice would be prepared for everything. "I don't know," she whispered. "I haven't been myself all day. I know I shouldn't be mad at Jasper. He's been nothing but sweet, but I couldn't help snapping at him. And then I locked myself in a bathroom and started blubbering like a teenage girl."

I smiled slightly as she chocked on another laugh. "Alice," I reached out and placed my hand on hers. "Maybe your just stressed. This trial could be too much for you."

She shook her head, "We're going to get Mason back, I'm not worried about that. Tanya doesn't really want him and that will show through to the judge."

I squeezed her hand, "Then what else could it possibly be?"

She chewed on her lip and I was glad to see that her breathing had returned to normal. Perhaps if she could get her emotions under control for a moment, we could figure out what was wrong.

"Bella," she breathed, her mouth dropping open and her eyes glazing over slightly. These strange mood swings were really giving me whiplash. "I think…" she trailed off.

I wanted to shake her out of her daze so she'd tell me what was going on, but I was afraid to cause another mood shift.

"What is it, Alice?" I tried to be as gentle as possible.

Alice's eyes locked on mine, but she was not exactly looking at me. She was still off in her own little world. "I think I know what's wrong." It was all she said, and it irritated me desperately.

A knock on the door brought us out of our little bubble. "Alice, Bella," It was Esme's voice. "Girls, let me in. You're starting to worry me."

Alice looked at the door and then at me. I took that as an invitation to open the door. I unlocked it and was greeted by four sets of curious eyes. I held up a finger to let them know that I needed just a few more minutes and escorted Esme inside before re-locking the door.

When I turned back to Alice, Esme was already there, staring deeply into her daughter's eyes. Suddenly, her trembling hand came up to cover her mouth as a sheen of unshed tears shone from her eyes. "You're, you're…" she couldn't seem to get the words, whatever they were, past her lips.

Frustration began to bubble beneath my skin again. What in the world was going on? And how is it that Esme was able to tell what it was without Alice actually saying it?

Alice nodded, obviously understanding what Esme was trying to say. Mother and daughter embraced each other tightly, as if afraid to let go. "I can't believe it," Esme whispered. She pulled back, holding her daughter at arms' length. "Have you told Jasper yet?"

Alice shook her head, hiccuping as the tears began to fall down her cheeks again. "I didn't even realize it until a few minutes ago. We've been so caught up in this Tanya thing that I didn't notice."

My eyebrows furrowed as I looked between them. I felt like I was missing something extremely obvious. "Does anybody mind telling me what's going on?"

I felt bad when the Cullen women looked at me. They seemed to be shocked, and I realized that I'd interrupted some kind of moment between them. A smile spread over Alice's features after the shock fell away and she held her arms open as if she expected me to throw myself at her. "I'm pregnant."

I should have known, I really should have. It wasn't like Alice to be so moody, ever. As she must have predicted, I fell into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh my God, Alice. This is so amazing."

She chuckled, "I can't believe it," she whispered. "I'm going to be a mom."

I pulled away so that she and Esme could embrace again. Then we helped Alice clean herself up so that we would look presentable. When we exited the bathroom, we were met by three very anxious sets of eyes.

Jasper stepped forward immediately, taking Alice into his arms. "Alice, darlin', are you okay?"

"I'm perfect," she said snuggling into Jasper's chest.

It was strange watching them, knowing that Alice would soon tell Jasper something that would alter his life forever.

I didn't have to wait long to see his reaction, because Alice tugged on his shirt until she could whisper in his ear. Shock registered on his face. Then, slowly, he pulled back and smiled down at her. No words seemed needed as they drank in the sight of the other.

The moment was so beautiful and so private that I had to look away. I glanced at Edward and smiled at his confused expression. I took his hand and tugged him away from the scene.

What in the world is going on?" Edward asked as he continued to turn to look at his sister.

"She'll tell you when she's ready." Though I was sure Alice wouldn't mind me telling Edward, she would have more fun breaking the news herself.

Edward looked like he was about to interrupt me, but a beautiful little voice interrupted us. "Daddy! Bewa!" I could hear Mason's feet hitting the ground at an alarmingly quick rate. Edward and I both turned and ran for him. As quickly as I could, I snatched him up before he was able to hit the ground. He threw his arms around my neck. "Miss you," he said into my hair.

A sob choked in my throat as I squeezed my arms around him. I kissed his copper hair. "I missed you too, Mason."

Edward wrapped his arms around both of us for a moment. I was on the verge of tears and I turned my face into his chest, trying to hold them in. He squeezed me reassuringly before taking his son. "Hey buddy, are you having fun with your Mom?"

I didn't like Mason's hesitation or the unsure look as he nodded. "Daddy, when can I come home? I wanna see Jake."

Edward smiled and I could see that it was forced. "Soon, kiddo. I promise you'll get to come home soon." Edward leaned forward and pressed his lips to Mason's forehead.

"Gwamma! Gwampa!" Mason began to wiggle in Edward's arms, trying to get to Esme and Carlisle. Edward set him down and Mason broke into a sprint to get to his grandparents.

I reached out and cupped Edward's cheek, bringing his gaze back to me. He placed his hand over mine, turning his head so he could place a kiss in the center of my palm. Then he laced our fingers together and dropped them between us. All the time, our eyes remained connected. I could see the worry clearly in his eyes when he did everything he could to hide it from me.

"Everything's going to be okay," I whispered. I didn't know what else to say. "It just has to be."

"Mason!" I heard Tanya gasp from someways down the hall. "What are you doing? I told you not to move."

Startled, my head jerked in the direction of the irritating noise. I could both hear and feel Edward growl as he pulled me closer, almost as if holding me back. Esme and Carlisle came up to stand by Edward while Alice and Jasper came to stand next to me. I had never known how intimidating the Cullens could be, but I'd hate to be on the receiving line of the glares that Tanya was getting.

She placed her fists on her hips, trying to appear unfazed, but I saw fear flicker through her eyes. "Get your hands off my son," she said in a stronger voice than I would have been able to muster.

Esme, who was holding Mason, looked at Edward. He shook his head, "Mom, why don't you and Dad take Mason into the courtroom. I'm just going to wait out here for Jay."

His grasp on my hand tightened. Clearly, I wasn't leaving his side. He continued to glare down Tanya, waiting until Mason was out of earshot to continue. "I really wish you wouldn't drag Mason through this."

Tanya crossed her arms over her chest, appearing slightly less intimidated now that Carlisle and Esme were gone. "Do you still plan to be with her?" Tanya hissed, bobbing her head in my direction.

Alice bristled next to me. I laid my hand on her arm, trying to soothe her both for the baby and so she wouldn't say anything that she might regret.

The ring on my left hand must have glinted as I placed it on Alice's arm, because Tanya's eyes snapped to it. I saw anger shadow her features. "I can't believe that after everything I've put you through, you're going to marry her." Her furious eyes snapped to Edward's. "You will never get Mason."


	19. Court

A/N: I did no research on courtroom procedure, so I'm sorry if this is not the way that things actually happen.

* * *

"Edward, look at me." We were standing just outside the courtroom with Rosalie, who was trying to help me calm Edward down. When Jay had walked in, he'd ordered Edward to cool off before he came into the courtroom. So far, we'd yet to make any real progress.

Rosalie looked like she wanted to smack Edward as he continued to fume. "Edward, your son is just past that door, wondering why he hasn't been with his father much recently. And all you can do is stand out here in a fit of rage," she grabbed his chin forcefully and pulled his faced down to look at her. "There are far more important things right now than this self pity crap. Now, you either cool your shit or you walk away from your son forever, because you're not going to get him back if you're going to pull this crap."

Reason seemed to be returning to his eyes as Rosalie berated him. He took a couple of deep breaths and nodded his head. Rosalie pursed her lips, searching his eyes for a moment before releasing him. "I'm going back in to tell Jay that you'll be ready soon. Just chill for a few minutes."

As she left us, Edward slumped against the wall. He brought his hand up to rub his forehead. "I can't believe I let her get to me so badly."

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, not knowing exactly what to say, but knowing that he needed to feel me here. We stood that way for several minutes, neither of us talking.

His eyes lifted to mine, "I'm sorry," he whispered.

I stood up on my tiptoes and brushed my lips across his. "You have nothing to be sorry about. We knew this was going to be stressful and we knew that we were going to have to confront people about our engagement We just have to be stronger, we have to show them that they can't break us."

Edward shook his head as a small smile played across his lips. "There's no way that I could deserve you."

He took my hand and looked at the door to the courtroom with a mixture of longing and frustration, yet made no move. "We should go in, Edward. It's gonna start soon, and I just want to get this over with, and take Mason home." Edward looked a little shocked by my words, and began to pull me to the door.

"Wait!" I pulled back and stood on my toes, crushing my lips to his for a moment. I needed him here with me for a few more moments, because I didn't know how this was going to end. I was afraid that I would not be allowed to be with him or Mason anymore, and it hurt. So I needed this moment to remember if I lost him.

When I finally feel back on my heels, letting our lips separate, I could see an array of emotions behind Edward's misted eyes. "Why did that feel like goodbye?"

I shook my head and looked away, not wanting to answer his question. "I just want you to know that I love you, Edward. No matter what happens in there, that will never change."

Edward opened his mouth as if he wished to question me further, but he never got the chance. Esme peaked her head out, "Jay says it's time for you to come in."

Edward nodded to his mother. He picked up my left hand and pressed his lips to his ring. His gaze locked with mine, and there was possession there. His message was clear. I wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't letting me go. Intertwining our fingers, he pulled me into the courtroom.

I sat down next to Alice, behind Jay and Edward. I did my best to not look at the other side of the courtroom where Tanya and who I assumed were her sisters, kept Mason away from us.

The bailiff stood in front of the courtroom. "All rise for the honorable Judge Volturi" The entire courtroom rose and the door to the judge quarters opened. In walked the judge, who looked like he was several centuries old. His skin appeared so fragile that it might crack if you simply looked at it for too long.

He climbed to his seat and nodded for us all to take our seats. I didn't particularly like having to rise for him. There was something in the way that he looked at us which made me think that he had some sort of God complex. "Case 2487, Denali vs. Cullen, custody case. Is the prosecution present?"

Jay stood up and buttoned his coat. "Yes your honor."

Judge Volturi turned his eyes in our direction. "What are the charges?"

Jay clasped his hands behind his back. "Ms. Denali has ignored former custody agreement for personal gain."

"And how does the defense plea?" A chill ran up my spine as he smiled at the Denali clan.

Their lawyer stood and buttoned his jacket as well. The constant up and down, button and unbutton style would have been amusing in any other situation. "Not guilty, your honor."

Judge Volturi nodded and glanced back down at the papers of our case in his hands. "I see here that both sides are asking for full custody," he flipped through a few sheets and placed them down to look at us over his glasses. "Prosecution, your opening statement."

"Thank you, your honor." Jay stood and buttoned his jacket again. Then he made his way to stand in front of the table. I realized that there was no jury. This would be decided purely by the judge. My heart dropped into my stomach as I realized that our fate was to be decided by this one man.

I didn't hear Jay speak. Judge Volturi had chosen that moment to lock gazes with me. My stomach lurched. His eyes were nearly black, and they were hungry. I had never been so scared of a man in my entire life. Not even the man who'd held me at gunpoint frightened me this much.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched in horror as a smile spread across his face. He knew that I was frightened of him. He knew it and was thoroughly enjoying that fact. What kind of mess had we gotten into?

The sound of Jay's chair scraping the floor as he scooted back into the table brought me back to the courtroom. Alice squeezed my hand and my eyes shot to hers. There were questions clear on her face, but I just shook my head. I didn't think it was a good idea to share my fears with her.

Aro nodded toward Jay as if he'd been listening the whole time. And maybe he was. "Opening statement from the defense."

I didn't make the mistake of looking back at Judge Volturi. I didn't want to get stuck in his gaze again. Especially if I saw the sick pleasure there. Instead I looked at the defense attorney. He said somethings about maternal influence, mother knows best, and some other crap that was meant to soften the judge up to their side. It would have been a good argument if it weren't Tanya. Tanya didn't have the maternal instinct to pull off those kinds of ideals.

When the attorney finally sat down, I could see Edward's hands clasped against the seat of his chair. His knuckles were white from the pressure he exerted, and I could swear that I heard the wood splintering under his hands.

I reached forward and squeezed his shoulder. He turned his head just enough for me to see his profile and for him to see me out of the corner of his eyes. He nodded slightly and relaxed under my hand. It was a heady feeling, knowing that I had caused that, knowing that he responded that way to me.

Judge Volturi broke through my calm. I hated how he made me feel. It was almost as if I was here to be put under his microscope to be inspected. "It says here that the prosecution has some evidence to present."

Jay stood and buttoned his jacket. "Yes your honor."

Judge Volturi made a broad gesture with his hand. "You have the floor."

Jay opened his briefcase and pulled out what I knew to be the emails. I have here several emails between the defense and my client."

Judge Volturi held out his hand for Jay to give him the papers. Jay did so and we all waited as the judge flipped through them. Judge Volturi nodded and handed them back. "Please read them for the rest of the court."

"Wait!" Edward nearly knocked over his seat with the speed that he stood. He took a few breaths as Judge Volturi gave him permission to speak. "Could we not have my son present for the reading of the emails?"

My heart squeezed as I realized what he was asking.

Judge Volturi's brow furrowed. "There's nothing in these emails for you to be worried about your son hearing, boy. Why would you want him to leave?"

Edward glanced at me and then at Mason before returning his gaze to the judge. "I don't want my son to think any less of his mother, and I definitely don't want him to know what was said in those emails."

I wondered if I imagined the disappointment in the judge's eyes. Did he really wish to cause Mason the torture that would come from hearing what his mother, the woman that was supposed to love him unconditionally, had said about him. "Fine, someone from both the defense and the prosecution may take him from the courtroom while the emails are read. Then we will take a recess before calling the character witnesses to the stand."

I sighed in relief as one of Tanya's sisters and Esme took Mason from the courtroom. I would have gone with them, but I knew that Tanya would use that against us and Edward needed me here with him.

Once the door was closed, the judge nodded for Jay to proceed. Jay quickly chose a few of the emails and read them out loud.

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** Home

Edward

Alice asked me today if I was planning on taking Mason with me to see my family. Why would I do that? Mason wouldn't be able to go to the clubs with my sisters and I. And you know that my parents really can't take care of him. I'll be back in a few weeks. We'll discuss this more later.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** This Weekend

Edward

I will not take Mason this weekend if you are going to be ridiculous about this. I don't care what Disney movie is coming out. I'm not taking him to a movie theater. He'll try to sneak away and then I'll have to spend my night looking for him. If you want him to go to the movies on opening night, you can take him.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** My Couch

Edward

Your son has just ruined a $5,000 couch. You will be replacing it. And grape juice will be off his diet permanently.

Tanya

* * *

**To: **Edward Cullen

**From: **Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** School

Edward

We need to discuss putting Mason in school so that you can work during the day. I'm not sure that this arrangement is going to work for me anymore. I can't have him over here anymore. He trips over thin air and then cries. Edward, he won't stop crying. What am I supposed to do with a crying child? And then when he's not crying, he's asking questions. I can't stand the incessant questioning anymore. Your son is driving me crazy, Edward.

Tanya

* * *

**To:** Edward Cullen

**From:** Tanya Denali

**CC:**

**Subject:** RE:RE:RE:RE: Dog

Edward

Fine, be the more fun parent. I don't care. I'll get a dog, and then you can take it and Mason. I don't care anymore. It's not worth fighting with you over anymore. Take your son and leave me be.

Tanya

* * *

Judge Volturi glanced at us again before banging his gavel. "The court will take a quick recess and will reconvene in ten minutes for questioning."

The bailiff stepped forward. "All rise," he said as the judge stood and retreated into his quarters again.


	20. True Character

"Daddy! Daddy!" Mason jumped away from Esme. "Gwwama taught me game." He said excitedly as he latched onto his father's leg.

Edward bent down to pick up his son. He tried to smile, but I could tell that this was tearing him apart. He hated putting his son through this. He hated idea of separating his son from his mother, or the idea that he might be separated from his son. I couldn't help but lean in and press my lips to his shoulder before resting my forehead there.

Edward leaned over and pressed his lips into my hair. "Thanks" he whispered.

"Daddy, Bewa," Mason said impatiently. "Gwama taught me a game."

I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. I lifted my head to smile at him, but leaned into Edward's side, afraid to lose contact with him. "What game did she teach you, Mason?"

Mason wiggled until Edward put him down, and then tugged on our pants until we sat down on the floor with him. He then proceeded to teach us a hand clapping game. It was like patty cake, but more complicated. And Mason seemed so happy.

"It's time to come back in," Rose said softly.

I hadn't realized how much time had passed. I looked at Edward and could see the strain on his face. He didn't want to leave his son again. And I felt the same way. It was the first time that I'd been allowed near Mason in weeks.

Esme placed a comforting hand on Edward's shoulder. "It's alright, Edward. Kate and I are going to be staying out here with Mason. And then you can take him home after all this is over."

Mason's eyes lit up. "You mean I can come home and see Jake aftah dis?"

I saw the woman standing next to Esme, Kate I guess, begin to tear up. She turned away from us before I could really determine if she was crying.

"Sure, kiddo," Edward said with as much enthusiasm as possible. "Jake's missed you so much."

Edward stood up and helped me to my feet. He began to pull me into the courtroom, but I wasn't ready. Something was bothering me. "Just give me a minute, Edward. I'll be right behind you."

He searched my eyes for a moment. He was afraid that I was going to run. I leaned forward and brushed my lips against his. "I promise, I'll be right there. I'm not going anywhere."

He took a deep breath and then kissed my forehead. "I love you," he whispered before turning back toward the room.

Rosalie tapped her watch. "You need to be here in five minutes, Bella." I nodded and she turned back toward the courtroom as well.

"Bella?" I turned to see the exact person I'd wanted to speak with, Kate. "Aren't you going to go in with Edward?"

I licked my lips and studied her face. There was still a slight sheen to her eyes that made me think that she was still on the verge of crying. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Her breath caught in her throat and an actual tear slipped down her cheek. "Why would you care?"

I shrugged my shoulders, because honestly, I didn't know. I had no idea why I cared, but I knew I did. "Something seems to be upsetting you. I know it's a really stressful day, and I just thought you might need someone to talk to."

A sob broke free, "You are so nice," she said quietly. She sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "I want you and Edward to win the trial," she said without looking at me. "I'll miss Mason, but I haven't seen him as happy in the last few weeks as he was in those ten minutes with you and Edward. I can't stand to watch the way he is with Tanya anymore. He's not the same kid."

I laid my hand on her shoulder tentatively. "We don't want to take Mason away from you. We want him to have all of his family. All of his family." I squeezed her shoulder, emphasizing the fact that I meant her as well.

"You really mean that, don't you?" she watched Mason play with Esme. "You really don't want this trial."

"None of us do," I replied quickly.

She nodded, "But I understand why you're doing it. Tanya's always wanted Edward. And it's killing her that after all these years, he's finally giving himself to someone completely. And maybe it wouldn't bother her so much if she hadn't almost lost him to you once before."

I turned to look at the courtroom. "I wish I could say I was sorry. But I'm not. Edward is the only man I've ever loved. And the only way that I can be truly happy is to have both Edward and Mason in my life."

"And he loves you too," Kate sniffled and pushed me toward the door. "And he needs you right now. Go ahead. Mason will be here when you get out."

It didn't take much more encouragement. I made my way into the courtroom and took my seat next to Alice. She glanced at me questioningly, but I shook my head and mouthed, 'later'. I still had to work through what had just happened before I could share it with her.

Leaning forward, I laid my hand on Edward's shoulder. Without looking back, he clasped it, letting me know that he knew I was there. He held me to him tightly, as if afraid that losing the physical connection would be dangerous to our well being.

The bailiff stood in front of the court. "All rise for the honorable Judge Volturi." We all stood and Edward took my hand and dropped our connected hands to his side. I felt a little off balance handing over the railing, but Edward needed me, so I didn't move.

We all sat with the Judge and waited as he shuffled through his papers again. "Alright, does the defense have any character witnesses?"

Tanya's attorney stood up, buttoning his jacket. He called out the name of one of Tanya's coworkers, Ronata Martin. She came up to the front of the small courtroom and stood next to the judge. The bailiff placed a bible in front of her. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, so help you God?"

"I do," she took her seat and crossed her ankles primly waiting for her chance to speak. I couldn't figure it out, but there was just something about her that I didn't like. But Judge Volturi was watching her with extreme interest.

"Okay, Miss Martin," Judge Volturi said, "Would you please give your statement?"

Ronata nodded, smiling up at the Judge, "Yes your honor." She turned to face us, the smug smile on her face proving that she knew how closely the judge was watching her. "Tanya is a close friend of mine, both in and out of the work environment. She is great on the job and when I see her with her son, it's like he can't get enough of her.

I snorted internally. Of course Mason couldn't get enough of his mother. He rarely saw her. And when he did, she was still busy with work or her friends that it was like she wasn't really there anyway. The little attention that she did give her son made her son go through the roof with happiness. Alice couldn't keep her snort to herself, though, and I nearly giggled at the expression on her face. Luckily I was able to hold it in. I didn't think the judge would appreciate me giggling during the statement given by his new pet.

Ronata ignored Alice's protest and continued on. "In the past few weeks, I have seen Tanya happier than she has been since she and Mr. Cullen got divorced."

Judge Volturi just nodded, accepting every word like it was the gospel, but I wanted to throw myself at her. The only reason that Tanya would be happy right now was if she thought that she was placing a wedge between Edward and me. Alice must have noticed my posture stiffen, because she laid a hand on my leg, as if to restrain me. Maybe she thought I was actually going to get up and launch myself at the lying woman on the stand.

"I believe that it would be best to give Tanya full custody over her son." Ronata concluded happily.

I saw Edward's knuckles turn white as he clenched his hands together tightly. But other than that, he showed no sign of distress. I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard this was for him. I was on the verge of being sick, and I knew that, no matter how much I loved him or how long I was with him, Mason would never mean as much to me as he did to Edward. He was the only thing that kept Edward alive these past three years.

"Thank you," Judge Volturi said as Ronata made her way down from the stand. I didn't watch her as she passed me by. I continued to watch Edward for his response, but he made none. He remained completely stoic.

Judge Volturi turned his head our way, and I saw Edward's back stiffen. I reached out automatically, wanting to comfort him, but Alice grabbed my hand and shook her head. I reluctantly pulled back.

"Does the prosecution have a character witness they'd like to offer?" Judge Volturi said flippantly. Surely he hadn't already made his decision based on that one woman.

Jay stood up. "Yes your honor. I would like to call Officer Benjamin Jameson to the stand please."

I couldn't help but turn around. I hadn't even realized that he was here, let alone that he was going to speak on Edward's behalf.

Benjamin nodded and smiled at both of us. There was something very comforting about his smile, actually, his presence in general. It wasn't like being with Jasper, but similar.

The bailiff approached Benjamin with the bible and repeated his speech to which Benjamin said, "I do."

"Okay," Judge Volturi said with what could only be described as a bored voice. "You may give your statement now."

Benjamin nodded, "I've only met Edward once, and it was under extreme circumstances, but I can tell you now that he is a great father. He will do anything for the people that he cares bout. To add on top of the personal reasons, when run through the system, he's completely clean. Not even a traffic ticket."

"And what about," Judge Volturi looked down through the papers in front of him, "Miss Swan? What would you say about her?"

Benjamin's brow furrowed. Clearly he wasn't supposed to be asking about me. This wasn't about me. But he answered anyway. "Dr. Swan," he said with slight agitation in his voice, "also has an extremely clean record. As far as what's best for Mason, I couldn't think of a better pair. Dr. Swan risked her life just to make sure that the child was okay and out of danger."

Edward's shoulders relaxed slightly as Benjamin spoke, but his back remained ramrod straight.

Judge Volturi watched Benjamin for a few moments longer as if he wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. Then he nodded, "Thank you, Benjamin. You may step down."

Benjamin stood from his seat and eyed Judge Volturi skeptically before stepping down. He clearly didn't trust him either. When he reached me, he leaned down and kissed my cheek, "Good luck, Bella. I really do the believe that you two will make the best parents."

Judge Volturi's voice broke into his words. "Would Isabella Swan come to the stand please?"


	21. Verdict

Everyone's gaze jerked to Judge Volturi. "Excuse me?" Edward was the first to speak.

Jay placed his hand on Edward's arm before standing. "Your honor, this is not protocol. Dr. Swan was not to be called to the stand."

The judge raised an eyebrow at him. "This is my courtroom, Jay. I would suggest you not tempt me."

Jay looked like wanted to argue, but he held his tongue. Instead, he glanced at me with an apologetic look before centering his energy on keeping Edward in control. We both knew that he was not happy about this.

I stepped up to the stand, butterflies heavy in my stomach. What was he going to ask me? Were judges really allowed to do this? I hadn't volunteered my statement. Not because I hadn't wanted to, because Jay was afraid that the Judge or Tanya's attorney would find a way to make me seem like the guilty party by confusing me with double talk. I tried to keep both of my step and my breathing even. Judges were probably like dogs, they can smell your fear.

The bailiff approached me and I placed my hand on the extended bible. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

I nodded, "I do."

As I sat, I glanced at Edward, but he wasn't looking at me. He was glaring at Judge Volturi, who seemed to be ogling me.

"Dr. Swan," Judge Volturi said sweetly. "It says here that you are in a relationship with Mr. Cullen."

I nodded, not knowing what else to do. "Yes, your honor."

He interlocked his fingers in front of him, smiling innocently at me. "And what is the nature of your relationship?

The question seemed simple enough. "We're engaged."

He nodded and flipped through his papers slowly before turning to me again. I felt like one of those criminals in the room with the light overhead. Yet, I hadn't done anything wrong. "Who do you think should keep the child?"

My brow furrowed. What was with this man? Was this some kind of trick question? "Edward," I meant for my voice to be strong, but I was so confused that it came out in a whisper. I had to clear my throat and repeat myself.

"And why is that, dear?" I didn't like that way that he looked at me. He didn't really seem to be seeing me, at least not the me that went to college for five years and then to vet school for four. He was looking at me as a piece of meat.

I turned back to Edward, who was finally looking at me. Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes slide to Tanya's. She looked like she'd given up. But I couldn't feel sorry for her. No matter what happened, I couldn't feel sorry for her. She'd brought this on herself when she'd tried to take her child out of a loving home just so that she could keep her ex-husband from being happy. "Edward loves his son more than you could ever imagine. I've never seen a father so devoted. If letting Tanya take his son was better for Mason, Edward would do it in an instant." I let my eyes meet Judge Volturi's. "If Tanya get's full custody, Mason will never feel as loved or as cared for as he would with his father. As if Edward weren't enough by himself, his entire family would do anything for their youngest member."

Judge Volturi nodded and began to flip through his papers again. I wanted to grab those damn papers and throw them across the room. When he turned up to me, a strange smile quirked on his lips. "It says here that Miss Denali's objection is simply that she wishes for Edward not to bring strange women into Mason's life. If you though that Edward really was the better parent, why didn't you break it off?"

I could almost hear Edward growling. I took a deep breath resisting the urge to look at Edward. "Edward wouldn't let me go. But if the only way that he could get his son was if I wasn't in his life there would be nothing that anyone could do to stop me from leaving."

Judge Volturi searched my face for several moments. It was almost as if he was trying to read my thoughts, and just couldn't. Finally he nodded, "You may take your seat, Dr. Swan." There was no way that I could have imagined his disappointment as he let me go.

I finally breathed a little easier once I was off the stand facing away from the judge. I didn't know if I'd be able to hold strong for much longer. I took my seat behind Edward, letting my hand brush his shoulder in hope that it would supply us both some form of comfort.

"We will have a fifteen minute recess and then we'll reconvene here for the my verdict."

Less than thirty seconds later, Edward was pulling me into his arms so tightly that I could barely breathe. "I am so sorry, Bella. I don't know what happened, but you should not have been called to the stand."

I wiggled until he loosened his hold enough so that I could look up at him. "Edward, I'm alright. Yeah, it was a surprise, but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen."

Edward nodded once before leaning down and capturing my lips. "You can't leave me, Bella. No matter what the verdict is, you can't leave me. I can't live without you."

I leaned back and gently stroked my cheek. "Edward, if the judge says that you can't have Mason back in your life, there's nothing I can do. I love you, and you can't survive without your son. You need him."

"I need you," he said squeezing me tightly and a few tears rolled down his cheek as if he were finally letting in what I was saying.

"Edward, you need Mason. Alice needs Mason. Your parents need Mason." _I need Mason_, I added in my head. "I'm going to do whatever I have to for you." I looked deepy into his eyes. "I don't want to ever be without you again. And if there is a God above, we won't have to make a choice. But you have to know that if the choice comes down between you and me, I'll pick you every time."

Edward nodded before pulling me close and tucking his head into the crook of my neck. I could feel a little water seeping through my shirt, but Edward held still, as if he was afraid to even let his sobs move him the slightest millimeter away from me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself just enjoy this feeling of home that I got any time that I was near him. I knew that this was where I was supposed to be, but things were spinning out of control, and sometimes, you have to give up the people that mean the most to you so that they can find happiness.

Fifteen minutes came and went too fast and yet, it seemed to drag on forever. I wanted to know if Edward would get his son, but I never wanted him to let me go. But all too soon, the bailiff was asking us to rise for Judge Volturi. We all took our seats and waited. It was too much pressure.

"Due to the evidence presented," Judge Volturi said slowly and my heart nearly stopped waiting for the verdict I prayed he'd give. "I award full custody to Edward Cullen." My heart was beating so loudly in my ears that I barely heard the judge say that there would be someone coming to check on us in six months. But I heard the gavel banging loud and clear. "Court adjourned."

Alice pulled me to my feet and threw her arms around me. "I told you so," she whispered before throwing herself at her brother.


	22. The Wedding

10 Months Later

Alice was running around the little room like a chicken with her head cut off. "Bella, you didn't give me enough time."

I giggled, "Alice, I gave you ten months. I know for a fact that's more than enough time for you to plan the perfect wedding. And I also know for a fact that you have. All we have to do is walk down the aisle where Edward is waiting for me and everything will be perfect."

Alice growled at me. "You seem to have forgotten that I was pregnant nearly eight of those months and that I was out of commission for two weeks while I was recovering from Collin's birth."

I rolled my eyes, "You should have taken the full six weeks, Alice. This can't be healthy."

"Well, it's your fault," she said pointing a perfectly manicured finger at me. "If I hadn't, you and Edward would have done something stupid like run off to Vegas."

I blushed. We hadn't told Alice, but she was right. To get out of the big wedding, Edward and I had nearly run off. Of course, it hadn't worked. You can't pull anything over on Alice. I just never planned to tell her that she was right about this.

There was a knock on the door, and my father peaked his head in. "Are you ready?" he asked in an oddly gruff voice.

Alice threw her hands up in the air, "Might as well be."

Charlie chuckled, "I thought the bride was the one who was supposed to be freaking out."

I shrugged, "Alice is doing more than enough for both of us."

Alice glanced between me and my father before her shoulders finally sagged. "You're right. I am being ridiculous." She took my hand. "I just really want this to be the perfect wedding for you and Edward. You've been through enough to deserve it."

I squeezed her hand gently and kissed her on the cheek. "Alice, all I want is to marry your brother. And then you'll never be able to get rid of me again."

A devious smile began to form on her lips. "Just imagine all the shopping trips that I'll be able to take you on. And then," She got so excited, jumping up and down. "If you and Edward have a daughter, we can take our girls on shopping trips."

I wanted so desperately to shut her up, or at least tell her that she had a son, not a daughter, because she was beginning to scare me. But instead, I let her live out her little fantasy. God knows that I wouldn't be able to stop her.

My dad's throat clearing brought us back to the present. "Bells, Edward is waiting for you at the alter. I don't think it's very kind of you to keep the poor guy waiting. He might think you got cold feet. The lord knows he's been jumpy all day over the idea."

I couldn't help but smile and shake my head. It was amazing that Edward was so self conscious over us. We'd been through so much, why would I run now?

I made my way over to my father and took his extended arm. Alice flitted out of the room and we followed a few feet behind her quietly. Before we reached the line up, Charlie turned to me. "You know that I love you, right Bells?"

I smiled and squeezed my father's arm, "Of course I do, Dad."

He nodded, "I've always wanted you to be happy. And I know that Edward makes you happy." He smiled, "and Mason." I could tell by the far off look in his eyes that he too was overjoyed about getting Mason.

I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Dad, I love you, and I'm so glad that I came to live with you in high school. It was the best decision I ever made.

I had to bite down on my bottom lip as Charlie nodded curtly and began to move us forward to the doors again. Clearly, we'd reached our limit of showing affection. And that was okay, because we didn't need to constantly show and tell each other how we felt,we already knew.

First, Jake and Leah's little girl walked out throwing rose petals on the aisle with Mason walking next to her carrying the rings. He looked so adorable in his suit. I watched as he took each step carefully. He was taking his job very seriously and he didn't want to fall. I sighed in relief when I saw him reach Edward, though Edward couldn't see me. They looked so amazing together.

Angela and then Alice, who had recently bonded over motherhood, walked down the aisle next as my bridesmaids. And then I was up.

The wedding march began and Charlie looked at me. "Last chance to back out." I raised a brow at him and he laughed. "Just checking. I feel like I wouldn't be doing a good job if I didn't try."

The doors opened again and I began to walk Charlie down the aisle. I suppose it was meant to be the other way around, but Charlie just wasn't moving fast enough. The man I loved and my future were at the end of the aisle, and he wasn't getting me there as quickly as I needed him to.

Charlie chuckled and squeezed my arm, "It's not a race, Bells."

"But I'd be winning if it was," I smiled as I took another too quick step forward.

Edward looked up at me and his entire expression changed from one of anxiety to one of adoration. I had never felt more beautiful than at that moment. Edwards eyes were misted over with tears and his chin shook slightly, but his smile was genuine.

Charlie and I finally reached Edward, and Dad placed my hand in his. "Take care of her, Edward," Charlie said with great force. We both could hear the 'or else' in his voice, even if he didn't say it.

The ceremony went by quickly. Next thing I knew, Angela's dad was asking if we had the rings. Edward and I bent down so we were on level with Mason. Mason held up the little pillow and Edward took off the rings. Before standing back up, Edward ruffled Mason's hair and I kissed him on the cheek. He looked so excited at having done his job well.

Edward and I faced each other, ready to make the final step to show our commitment. "With this ring, I do thee wed," we each said sliding our ring onto the other's finger. And then, Edward was leaning in to kiss me.

It was over. I was Edward's wife, and he was pulling me down the aisle away from Angela's father. He pulled me into a small room on the side of the church and began to kiss me senseless. "I can't believe you're finally my wife," he whispered. "I never thought I'd get this." I couldn't believe it either, but he never gave me the chance to say so. Instead he swallowed my words.

I don't know how long we were in there, but eventually Alice came banging on the door. "Okay, newlyweds. I know that you can't keep your hands off of each other, but we still have pictures to do before we go to the reception and your son is getting antsy. He wants to know where you two have gone."

I couldn't help the widening of my smile as I realized that Mason was officially part of my family. He was my son, well, step-son.

I noticed Edward's smile widen as well as he looked down on me. "You look so beautiful, Love. I probably should have told you that first."

I couldn't resist grabbing the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down so that our lips crushed together. Neither of us stopped smiling as we nearly bruised our lips.

There was more banging on the door and this time, it came from a much larger person. "Bells," Emmett's voice boomed. "Get your hands off your husband, or I'll knock the door in and let Alice at you."

"Fine," I grumbled, pulling myself far enough away from Edward to straighten out my dress. We still had photos to take, and I had a feeling that I would want to remember how I looked before Edward got his hands on me. "Emmett, move away from the door, we're coming out."

I could hear Emmett chuckling, but thankfully, he wasn't there when I pushed it open. Instead, Mason barreled himself into my legs, nearly knocking me over. "Bewa! Bewa!" He squealed and giggled as I picked him up. He threw his arms around my neck and looked at me seriously. "Are we married now?"

I could hear the laughter all around me, but the most important thing at the moment was Edward wrapping his arms around my waist and Mason's questioning gaze. I smiled and nodded, "Yeah, Mason. We're married."

His bright smile was so excited it was nearly painful. I leaned in and kissed his cheek.

A flash went off somewhere close by. We all turned in the direction of the flash to see the photographer. He shrugged. "It was a great shot of the happy new family. I didn't want to miss it." When none of us could do anything but smile, he took a step toward the door of the chapel. "We should get the rest of the shots in before the reception."

Twenty minutes later and an aching jaw from smiling and we were heading to Edward's parent's house for the reception. Edward and I had decided to have our wedding in Forks. It had most of our family, and Edward said that it was where our wedding would have been held if we had gotten together in high school, so why not now?

"Bella?" I heard a soft voice call out behind me.

I turned to see Kate. She raised her hand shyly in greeting. I grabbed it and pulled her into my arms. "I can't believe you made it. I didn't think you'd be able to."

She rubbed my back tentatively, "Too tight, Bella." I pulled back quickly, blushing, which made her laugh. "I wouldn't miss it. Tanya doesn't know I'm here, though."

I nodded in understanding as Kate looked behind me and held her hand out to Edward. "Congratulations. I'm glad to see you and Mason happy."

Edward took her hand, grasping it tightly before pulling her into his arms. Anyone who truly cared about Mason would always have a special place in Edward's heart, no matter their connections. "We're glad you're here Kate. It means a lot to both of us."

Kate smiled as she stepped out of Edward's embrace. She stayed and talked to us for several moments, but then she began to edge away from us as she caught the eyes of one of Edward's coworkers. Edward said his name was Garrett.

Soon, Edward was whisking me onto the dance floor so that we could have our first dance as husband and wife. There was some clinking of glasses and Edward smiled before leaning down to capture my lips, causing everyone to break into applause. Edward leaned his forehead against mine. "Well, Mrs. Cullen," Edward said, causing a shiver to run down my spin at the possessiveness in his eyes. "I hope you're packed and ready to go, because the minute my sister's turned the other way, we're busting out of here."

I giggled, "Edward, you were the one who wanted the big white wedding. I would have been happy running away to Vegas."

He smirked, a devilish glint in his eyes. "And miss the chance to rip you out of this dress, I don't think so."

I could feel the heat of my blush as what he said sunk in. It was incredible that the idea of being intimate with him could still make me blush. We'd been together for a little over a year.

After Edward and I danced, I found myself dancing with Charlie in our father daughter dance. Then I was passed back to Edward. Carlisle cut in so Edward danced with his mother. After that, I danced with Jasper, Emmett, and then Edward again. Then Detective Benjamin, who I was surprised came all the way to Forks for our wedding with his wife and son, which was followed by Edward. I was getting a drink and a few minutes break when Ben, Angela's husband asked for a dance, and of course, Edward couldn't resist dancing with me one more time.

When Alice finally pulled me away to change and leave, I was exhausted. I'd never danced so much in my life. But I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was perfect, more than perfect.

I tugged Alice to a stop as soon as she had us in the bridal dressing room. When she turned to look at me, I pulled her into my arms. "Thank you so much, Alice. I couldn't have asked for a better wedding, or a better sister."

Alice's arms squeezed tightly around me as her shoulders shook slightly. "Bella, you're going to make me cry." She pulled back and looked up at me. "I don't think I've cried so much since little Collin was born." She sniffled before turning to grab the final garment bag on the rack.

Of course she'd chosen a blue sundress. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Esme and my mother peaked in as I twirled in the dress, admiring the way it fell around my waist.

"Oh my God," my mother's teary voice reached my ears. "I can't believe you're a married woman now."

I turned my watery eyes toward my mother before she pulled me into her arms and hugged me tightly. "I'm so glad you're here, Mom."

She pulled back and brushed my hair behind my ears. "I wouldn't have missed seeing you this happy for anything, Baby." She took my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. "You and Edward are so perfect together. I'm glad that you are finally together."

"Thanks, Mom," a few tears rolled out onto my cheek.

"Oh dear," Renee used her thumb to brush away the tears, "I didn't mean to make you cry."

I shook my head and pulled her in for another hug. "It's just a perfect day, Mom. I can't seem to help but cry."

My mom squeezed me more tightly before pulling back, smiling and wiping away her own tears. "Now, let's get you ready so you can go on that honeymoon and start on my grandchildren."


	23. Honeymoon Pt1

"Bewa, Daddy, when wiw we get der?" Mason asked impatiently. He was sitting with us on the plane because he would spend the rest of the honeymoon with his grandparents. Edward and I had both been adamant when we said that he would be coming with us. Neither of us wanted to be separated from him again.

"I don't know, Mason," I said as I tried to pull him back into his seat. He had his face pressed against the glass like he could possibly see past the sea of clouds. "Daddy hasn't bothered to tell me where we're going."

"You'll love it, sweetheart," Edward said as he kissed my cheek. "This was just the one part of the wedding that I had full control of. I wanted it to be a surprise."

Mason plopped back down in his seat and smiled up at me. My brow furrowed as I looked down at the face that I was learning to read better than my own. "What do you know, Mason?"

"Nuh uh," Mason said shaking his head happily. "Daddy tode me not ta tell you."

I turned toward my husband in shock. "You told Mason where we were going?" I pouted. "I'm your wife. You should tell me everything."

Edward chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose. "You'll find out soon enough. Mason helped me plan. I wanted to make sure that he would have fun too."

"You are so lucky that I love you," I said as I turned back to the window."

I couldn't see him, but I knew that he was smiling. He placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed, "I know, Love. Trust me, I know."

Mason and I continued to stare out the window. Edward had somehow gotten us a direct flight to wherever it was that we were going, and none of the flight staff was allowed to say where we were going without giving him the proper warning so that he could distract me. It was sweet and annoying at the same time.

Two and a half hours later, Mason started to yawn. "Why don't you come take a nap with me, Buddy?" Edward asked. "It's gonna be another hour or so and you're going to want to be rested up and ready to go when we get there."

Mason crawled across me to get into his father's lap. It wasn't the first time that all of us had cuddled up together on a plane, and I knew that it wouldn't be the last. This was my family. I loved these boys more than anyone in the world. Everything I did from here till the end of my life, I would do with them in mind. Them, and whoever else might come along.

I chewed on my lip as I thought about the little pink pill pack that I never forgot to check in the morning. When I could hear Mason's light snoring, I poked Edward.

He turned toward me with droopy eyes and a lazy smile. "What is it, baby?"

"Well, I was thinking…" I trailed off and looked out the window. What would Edward think? Would he agree or would he think that it was too soon?

He nudged me with his shoulder. "Bella, whatever it is, you can tell me. I want to know what's on your mind. I always want to know."

Turning back to him, I could see that spark in his eyes that I loved so much. "Edward, what if I stopped taking my pills this week?"

His eyes went wide, and it looked like he was going to jump out of his seat. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I chewed on my lip, unsure how to answer his question. "Bella, do you want to have a baby?"

I nodded slowly, still not sure whether his question was an affirmative or not. We'd discussed having children and we both knew that we wanted a bigger family, but we'd never discussed when we wanted to start. Maybe Edward just wanted Mason and I to himself for a little while before he wanted to bring anyone else into the picture, but I was starting to want a baby now. I wanted a little one that shared Edward's and my genes to add to our little unit.

Edward soon squashed all my fears when he leaned over and crushed his lips to mine. It wasn't a verbal answer, but it meant good things. He wanted a baby too. He pulled back just enough so that he could speak, not letting our lips ever actually part. "There's nothing I want more than having a piece of me growing inside of you baby."

I smiled and gripped his hair so that I could pull his lips down to mine.

A throat clearing nearby caused me to jump back slightly. I looked up into the smirking eyes of Esme Cullen. She pointed down to Mason who was still sleeping in Edward's lap. "The honeymoon doesn't officially start until my grandchild is no longer in the same room."

Edward snorted, "Like you and Dad never got a little carried away with Alice and I in the room."

Esme didn't even blush like I would have, and probably would in future, if Mason ever said anything like that. "In the privacy of our own home," she said in a stately manor.

Edward rolled his eyes, "Go back to your seat, Mom. It won't be too much longer until we land."

Satisfied that we weren't going to force her grandchild to watch us molest each other, Esme went back to her seat. And Edward and I settled in for the rest of the trip.

* * *

A cruise? We were going on a cruise? I didn't know whether I should be excited out of my mind or scold Edward for being out of his. It was amazing. It was incredible. It was expensive.

Edward had handed over _all_ of our luggage, as Alice had packed for us, to the bus driver and was now trying to calm a very excited Mason who was now telling me all the things that he was going to do with Grandma and Grandpa while he was on the cruise. He was so excited about the child's room as well as the pool with all the play stuff just for kids.

I couldn't help but giggle. "How did you keep him from going on like this? He was so quiet about it on the plane."

"Oh no," Edward shook his head as he placed his hand over his son's mouth, who kept right on talking as if he wasn't being silenced. "It's far more impressive than that. He's been holding onto this information for nearly six months."

My jaw may have actually hit the floor. There was likely going to be a beautiful purple bruise for Edward to make fun of for the next few days. I dropped down to one knee so that I was on eye level with a smiling Mason, who had finally stopped talking. "Baby, how could you keep a secret from me for six months? I thought you loved me."

"I do love you," Mason said seriously. "But Daddy says if I tode you, we might not go."

I raised an eyebrow at Edward and he shrugged. "It's true. You might have canceled the whole thing if you found out about it." He took my face in his hands, "I know you better than you know yourself. You hate money being spent on you. And you would have seen this as being an unnecessary expense." He kissed the tip of my nose, and I was noticing a pattern. He seemed to think that kissing my nose made my irritation go away.

I sighed, what did it matter? "Well, since we're already here, I guess I really don't have a choice."

Edward smiled and pulled me onto the bus before I could change my mind.

The process to get onto the boat, although efficient, took forever. And when I got to the room, all I wanted to do was lay down on the bed to take a nap. But we were quickly called to our "muster stations" so that we'd know what to do in an emergency, which we were, of course, assured wouldn't happen. And then we were getting ready for "bon voyage", participating in all the events that were happening on the top deck, playing with Mason in the pool, and then there was dinner and a show. It felt like we never stopped moving.

When we finally got back to our room for the night, Edward and I collapsed on the bed. With his face buried in the pillow, he began to tell me to strip so that we could consummate our marriage.

"Excuse me" I said raising an eyebrow at him, which of course he couldn't see. "This is our honeymoon, and our first time as husband and wife. Shouldn't it be a bit more romantic?"

He turned his head so that he was facing me. "No, energy," he complained.

I yawned, because honestly, I was plain exhausted. "Then we'll do it in the morning. Would it really be so bad if we waited a few more hours."

Edward pouted, "Last night in the hotel, Mason slept between us, and I've spent the whole day watching you in those cute little sundresses, or that sexy bikini. You can't expect me to go any longer."

"In the morning," I rolled out of bed and dressed in my comfy PJs, making sure that Edward knew I was serious. "Right now, I think you might fall asleep before either of us reached release."

I could see Edward smile, though he turned to prevent it.

After getting dressed and turning off all the lights, Edward joined me in bed. He wrapped his arms around my torso and pulled me into his chest. "God, I'm feeling old," he said into my hair. "What kind of couple doesn't have sex on their honeymoon because they're too tired?"

I smiled and snuggled more deeply into him, "The kind that knows they're going to be getting it whenever they want it for the rest of the week."

"Whenever?" Edward asked hopefully.

"Whenever," I confirmed.

Edward was silent for a few moments. "Wherever?" he asked mischievously.

I giggled and pinched his arm, "Don't be such a dirty old man."

Edward chuckled before burying his face in my hair and inhaling deeply. It wasn't long before we were both completely out."

* * *

I awoke to the feeling of my husband's lips working their way down my stomach. "Edward," I groaned. "What time is it?"

He chuckled, pulling my shorts and my panties down to my knees. He blew across my core, sending shivers up my spine. "Time for you to wake up, baby."

"Edward," I said again, but this time it was a moan. I tried to reach down for him, but he ducked away from my hand. I whimpered. I wanted to kiss my husband, but he was intent on kissing another set of lips before the ones on my face.

"Baby," he said as his nose brushes my sensitive clit. "I'm _really_ hungry."

I couldn't stop myself giggling at his corny line. But I soon found myself making other, more male ego boosting type noises, and I knew Edward approved because he began to make humming noises against me.

I was on the very edge of my release when Edward's lips left me. "No, please." My hips bucked up in a pointless effort to find his mouth again.

Edward settled over me, his erection pressed too far north for my liking. Instead of helping me find the release that I was looking for so desperately, he hovered over me, his lips moving against mine frantically. "Bella, baby," he groaned as I was successful in bucking my nips up high enough to move him through my wet slit. "This is going to be the first time. I want to take it slow."

My face must have shown how confused I was, because Edward smiled sweetly and brushed some damp hair from my forehead, "It will be the first time that I will make love to you as my wife," he said sweetly.

A part of me melted inside, telling me that I should indulge him, because he was being so sweet. But there was another part of me that wanted desperately to tell him to forget about that and just fuck me, because it wasn't our first time. The sweet side won out, though. Reaching my hand up, I tangled my fingers in his hair and brought his lips down to mine. Although I did love the fast paced sex that was purely for release every now and again, Edward was right, our first time together as husband and wife shouldn't be about pure release. Our first time should be about coming together as one, about loving and giving to the other.

Edward pulled back enough so that he could look into my eyes as he entered me. He was slow and gentle, and there wasn't another feeling in the world like it, being completely filled, being one with the person that you loved. It didn't matter if I released, not when we came together like this, because him loving me this way was more than I could ever ask for.

"Ung," Edward grunted as he slid home and stilled. I was so close thanks to his previous attention that I was already squeezing him tightly.

I brought his lips to mine again, not kissing him, but merely sharing my breath with him. "I love you," I whispered. The boat rocked slightly, causing us move against each other and our simultaneous moans. "God, I love you."

"Not as much as I love you," Edward said as he pulled out and slid into me again. I was so close and I knew he was too. It had been more than a week, and I was surprised that he hadn't found a way before this morning.

"Bella," he groaned. "I'm not going to make it much longer. I need you to…ugh." As he spoke, I could feel myself clamp down on him, trying to pull him in closer to me, permanently attach us together.

And that was it. I was gone. Exploding around him, I began to chant his name over and over again, not sure that any other word was strong enough to explain how I felt. Then I felt the one thing that could make me feel even better happened, Edward's hot seed was replacing the juices that I'd just lost.

Edward collapsed on top of me. "I love you, my beautiful wife," he said against my neck. "I have always and will always love you."

I scratched my nails across his scalp, making him hum. Smiling lazily I turned my head so that I could kiss him. I needed to kiss him. Slipping out of me, he rolled us onto our sides and continued to kiss me lazily. I couldn't help but smile as I realized that I would have this for the rest of my life.


	24. Honeymoon Pt2

"Bewa! Bewa!" Esme looked up from the boy she was trying to cover in sunscreen in exasperation. I couldn't help but giggle as he ran from her and practically fell into my arms.

She smirked, "Are you sure he's not yours?"

I picked Mason up, kissing his chubby little cheek. "He's mine alright." Mason's smile as I said the words made me explode. I loved that he wanted me to be a part of his life. It amazed me that this little boy hadn't shunned me when he found out that I wanted to marry his father. Instead, he'd accepted me with open arms.

Speaking of open arms, I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. Edward's bare chest pressed against the skin of my back that was exposed by my bathing suit. He laid his chin on my shoulder so that he would look at his son, "Are you ready to go to the pool, little man?"

"Yeah!" Mason shouted so loud that I was sure that the people in the next suite could hear him.

Carlisle came out of the bathroom and looked between us, "Well I see that the newlyweds finally made it out of the bedroom."

Esme swatted at him before shoeing us away. "Take your son and go have some family fun. Carlisle and I are going to relax here for a little while. We'll meet you at the buffet for lunch."

I nodded, smiling. How could this honeymoon be anymore perfect? I got to spend time with both of my boys, what more could I ask for? "We'll probably head in around 12:30"

Esme handed me the tube full of sunscreen that she'd unsuccessfully applied to Mason. "Try to keep in the shade if you can, the sun is more intense on the water. And please keep hydrated."

"Yes, Mom," Edward smiled as he leaned down to kiss his mother's cheek, never taking his hands from my waist. "We won't even be out there for two hours, no worries."

Shaking her head, Esme shoved her son toward the door. "Go! I want to pretend that I'm on vacation with my husband for a few hours."

"Oh, Mom," Edward rolled his eyes as we made our way toward the door. "You love that you're here with us. Don't you dare deny it."

Finally we were able to get out of the door. Mason was so excited about the pool. It was one of the main reasons that he'd wanted to come on this particular cruise. Well, since Edward had hidden the Disney cruise from him. There were colorful models for the kids to play around and on. It was a little frightening, because it looked like kids could get hurt really easily, but when I looked around the pool, no one was. All the kids were just having fun.

Edward quickly snagged two chairs and I want to work getting Mason's sunscreen on. He was still squirmy with the pool so close, but he seemed to understand that he wasn't getting in the pool until I had finished putting the lotion on him. We were going to have to look into that spray stuff, because this was a mess, and it was hard to keep Mason still.

"Am I gonna get a liddle broder?" Mason asked earnestly as I tried to get the sunscreen on his face without getting it into his eyes.

"I don't know, sweetheart." I carefully rubbed the lotion into his cheeks, which were all puffed up with his smile. "Do you want a little brother?"

"Uh-huh," Mason nodded enthusiastically, and I was glad that I'd taken my hand away from his face already. It would have really hurt if I'd poked him in the eye with my sunscreen coated fingers.

"Well," I hedged, "What if you get a little sister? Would that be okay? I couldn't promise him a little brother. I couldn't even promise him a sibling. Edward and I wanted to try, but we'd just started. There was a chance that we'd never be able to have children. I didn't want to think about it, but I didn't want to get his hopes up either.

Mason looked thoughtful, "Giwls like dolls. Boys don'."

Edward chuckled as he sat down next to us with an armful of towels that he'd just rented. "But you can take care of a little girl. You'd be such a good big brother to her."

"And you already had Collin," I said as I rubbed some sunscreen onto my own skin. Edward pouted but I shood him away. We may be on our honeymoon, but we'd tone it down around Mason. And him rubbing sunscreen on me didn't feel like it was in the 'toned down' category. "If you get a little sister, then you can do boy things with your Cousin. I'm sure Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper would love to have you come over and play all the time."

Mason nodded pensively. This was obviously a very important issue. He'd probably always wanted a little brother to play with. Someone he could teach, someone he could show how to be a boy. It would definitely be different than having a little sister. But I knew he'd make a great big brother no matter what happened.

"Let's go play, buddy." Edward jumped up and picked up his son. I was glad that he had far more grace than I did, but even so, I watched him nervously. There were lots of little kids running around at his feet, and he could slip in the pool. I didn't want either of my boys to get hurt. I shook my head. Boys would be boys, and I was sure to have to deal with broken bones, skinned knees, and many other things. I didn't think that I'd ever get used to the idea, though.

I waited with our chairs, knowing that if I left them, someone would steel them. It was nearly impossible to get one. Since we'd been so lucky to get two, I wasn't risking leaving them. So instead, I flagged down one of the crew members and ordered a few glasses of water. Esme was right, it was hot out here. I saw lots of people around the pool, alcohol in their hands, and knew that they would regret it if they stayed out here too long. They would burn so quickly and get sick. And since eating was such a big part of the cruise, I didn't think that would make them too happy.

When the glasses had been delivered, I flagged Edward and Mason back, forcing them to drink some before getting back in. "Bewa," Mason pouted. "Pway wiff me."

Edward nodded me forward. "I'll hold down the fort for a little while. It feels really good to get wet." Edward smirked at me, making sure that I heard his double meaning.

"Don't start with me, Cullen." He chuckled as Mason and I made our way into the pool. It really did feel good. The water was cool against my overheated skin.

Mason quickly started to splash around. He swam from me to the other end of the pool and then back again. He wasn't a great swimmer, but he was good enough, and I could tell that he was having a lot of fun. Then we went into the shallower pool where the tall, colorful models were. We played hide and seek, although Edward always kept a close eye on Mason when he hid. I could just imagine how easy it would be for a little kid to get lost on this ship. If I couldn't see Mason for just a moment, I'd have the whole crew looking for him.

And then Edward was waving us over again with more water. "How long do we have before we're meeting up with your parents again?"

"Not long," he said as Mason snuggled up into his lap. I couldn't believe he'd worn out already, but I knew that after a thirty minute nap, he'd be up and ready for more. "We could probably go back to the room and dry off before we go to the buffet. Alice stuffed a few things for Mason into my suitcase."

I snorted, "Psychic little pixie."

Edward nodded, "She always seems to know that we're going to need something."

After standing up, I lifted Mason from Edward's lap. I ran my fingers over his red cheeks and looked up at Edward, "You don't think he got too much sun, do you?"

Edward shook his head and ran his finger down my back, "He's probably just a little warm. It'll fade. You got a bit of sun on your back, though. Did you put any sunscreen there?"

"Yeah, I put some on back in the room."

"Then why did you put more on your legs out here?" Edward held the door open for me.

I shrugged, "It seemed like the right thing to do. I always hated when my mom made me do something, but then she wouldn't do it herself."

Edward leaned down and brushed his lips across my shoulder which Mason wasn't currently resting on, "You are incredible, you know that right? I would have never thought of that."

I shrugged my shoulders, though his compliments made me feel really good. There was that part of me that wondered if I would be able to handle Mason, because I was basically his mother now. I didn't ask him to call me mom, but Tanya had basically refused to see him, even with her visitation rights since the court date. It killed me, but Mason had stopped asking about her a few months back. I didn't want to disappoint him the way that she had. "It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

We took the elevator, knowing that there was no way I was taking the stairs with a child in my arms. I had a hard enough time carrying him to his room when we were on solid ground. If the boat moved while I was between stairs, I would lose it.

I dressed in a soft sundress, and helped Edward change Mason out of his wet trunks. Alice's foresight may be annoying, but it came in handy. A rash would damper Mason's mood, and I wanted him to have a good time out here. I drank a diet coke and Edward looked through channels for some channel that would give him the scores to some game that he was missing while we let Mason finish his nap. I knew that he wouldn't be terrible if we woke him up, but he wouldn't be happy, and it was kind of nice to just relax for a few minutes. I felt so calm, so peaceful. I felt a little worn out too, but I knew that a diet coke and some food would have me up again.

Edward reached out and pulled me into his lap. It wasn't that far of a reach. Our stateroom didn't allow much space. I was so glad that he hadn't gotten us a suite. We would only be doing a few things while we were in here, and none of them required much room. "I love you Mrs. Cullen," he whispered.

Tears filled my eyes, "I love you so much Edward."


	25. Epilogue

"Your Mom's here," one of the new girls poked her head around the corner and into my office. I really didn't know her name yet and I didn't feel as bad about that as I should have. The work ethic today had taken a major fall, and I was running out of cage cleaners faster than I was able to find them. But Jane seemed to be up for the challenge of finding me a good staff.

"Send her back," I barely looked up from the chart in my hands. I was getting ready for surgery, and I always took time to check over the patients records one more time to make sure that I was doing the right thing before putting them under.

"Mason," my mom's voice momentarily distracted me. "Don't you ever clean up in here? It looks like a tornado came through and destroyed my beautiful office."

I couldn't help but chuckle, "Mom, it's my office now, remember? And honestly, I was looking for something. I'll put it back together right now." With exaggeration, I picked up the two books that had fallen to the floor and put them back into their places and looked at my mother who nodded happily. The office had to be immaculate. She could probably tell me if I'd moved one of her books and where it was supposed to go without even looking at the shelves. I suppose that's what happens when you work in the same office for over thirty years.

"Now, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" I said, already knowing the answer.

She shrugged, "Your father kicked me out. He said that my pacing was making him antsy."

I shook my head. My father hadn't actually kicked her out. He'd lovingly suggested that she come back to the clinic, like he'd done every day for the past three weeks. We'd thrown her an official retirement party and I'd become the sole vet here, but she couldn't stay away. She'd loved her job, and she couldn't stand sitting around at home. And I think she secretly missed spending every moment of the day with me.

"You could have gone and checked on Nessie. She gets cranky all by herself these days." I made the suggestion in joke. Getting her to go anywhere besides the clinic was near impossible. She'd always been proud of her practice, and I loved that she'd passed it onto me.

I bit my cheek to keep from laughing when she scrunched up her nose, "She's cranky because she's pregnant. Thank you very much, but after dealing with your aunts and myself, I don't think I can do pregnant again."

"I'm sure my dear sister would love to hear that you're avoiding her in her time of need." I said as I watched her scan the books on the shelves.

"She doesn't need me," she waved me off before making her way out of the office, knowing that I would follow her. And like the loyal puppy that I am, I followed my Mommy to her destination. "Between all of your cousins and your father, she's never alone." She stopped in front of the cage where my ferrets stayed. After Jake had passed on, I hadn't been able to get another dog. He'd lived for nineteen years. I knew that one day I'd be able to, but Jake was my dog, and it would take some time to get over him.

She reached in and plucked out my silver mitt. I didn't understand why, but she was her favorite. She'd let her climb up on her shoulders, and she'd just stay there. It was actually kind of incredible. "She needs her Mom. I'm sure this is a really hard time for her." I loved Nessie, and I knew that being eight months pregnant had to be killer. Bree and I hadn't been blessed with children and I didn't know if we ever would,so I couldn't even begin to imagine how Riley was handling her.

"Oh don't be silly, Mason," Mom set off and began searching my cabinets making sure that Jane was keeping me well stocked. I didn't know why she would second guess her. She'd been working here for as long as I could remember. "I go see your sister every day. Is it so bad that I want to see you too?"

I chuckled, squeezing her shoulder gently, "Mom, don't piss Jane off. You trained her and I don't think she'd like to see that you don't trust her."

"Me?" my mother looked up at me innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"

Shaking my head, I left her to continue her investigation. "I'll be in surgery. Make yourself at home." It was a joke, she was more at home here than she was anywhere else, even with Dad.

Their thirtieth wedding anniversary was coming up in the next few weeks. Dad was going to surprise her with another cruise, but this time they would be going to Greece. Of course, when he'd purchased the room, Nessie hadn't been pregnant. He was still trying to decide whether to trade the rooms for a different time. Even though Mom was being blasé about Nessie having their first grandchild, I knew that she was ecstatic, though she wished that Nessie had waited a little longer to start a family.

Nessie was a Kindergarten teacher, though, and she wanted a little baby of her own. At twenty eight years old, she had somehow managed to snag her dream job, marry her high school sweetheart, and was now working to make a family. Like mother like daughter.

As I prepared Snoopy to go under, I couldn't help but smile. We had been really blessed, Nessie and I. We had two parents who loved us dearly and had supported us as we'd worked toward our dreams. According to my mom, I'd always wanted to be a vet, even before she came into our lives. I couldn't remember as I was only three years old, but she always told me that was one of the first things that I ever said to her.

Yes, I hadn't met my mother until I was three years old, but that didn't change anything for me. She was my mom, and I loved her. From time to time I'd hear from my biological mother, but she rarely ever came to visit. I knew that she was allowed visitation rights, but she'd basically refused them, and I'd come to terms with that. Tanya, my biological mother, had never really wanted to be a mom. I know she loved me, in her own way, but it was nothing like the way that my Mom did.

I can't honestly say that I really remember a time before she was in my life, but I know the story of my parents' romance well. It was a bit Serendipitous, them losing each other, then ending up in the same place years later. It made me believe in fate. And it had made me strive for a better relationship with Bree. I wasn't willing to settle into a loveless relationship like my father had, and I knew that they never would have let me.

Thirty minutes later, I was back in my office when Aunt Alice slipped in. She smiled at me, that look in her eyes that told me something big was coming. It scared me when she got that look in her eyes, because I knew that my life was never the same after she told me what she was here for.

I stood up and hugged her cautiously. "Hey Aunt Alice. What are you doing here? I thought we were all meeting for supper tonight for a final time before Dad puts Nessie on bed rest." She wouldn't be able to get away from it. Edward Cullen was far too over protective of his baby girl.

Aunt Alice smiled and bounced on her toes excitedly, "I just wanted to be the first to tell you congratulations, and to let you know that your Dad will be okay with you asking him to cancel the cruise all together."

My brow furrowed, "What are you talking about Alice. I think it's a great idea for Mom and Dad to go on a cruise. They would love Greece."

"Don't worry about why," Alice waved me off. "I just wanted to tell you."

I chuckled. To be honest, I knew it didn't matter. All of this would make sense eventually, it was just irritating that she had to be so cryptic. Now it would be in the back of my mind for the rest of the day.

* * *

After my last appointment, I said goodbye to my staff and my mom, promising that Bree and I would see her in a few hours. Alice's visit was still on my mind and I wanted to ask Mom if she knew anything about it, but I didn't want her to know about Greece if she wasn't going to get to go. So instead, I simply kissed her cheek and headed home.

"Bree?" I called out as I hung my keys in the place by the door. "Baby where are you?"

"Bathroom," I heard her voice call from across the house.

Curiously, I followed it to the master bathroom to find her sitting on the lip of the tub, looking slightly dazed. I dropped to my knees in front of her and stroked the apple of her cheek trying to read her eyes, "Sweetheart. What's the matter?"

She shook her head slightly before holding something up for my inspection. My heart beat rapidly as I realized what it was that she was trying to tell me. "Are you sure?" I whispered quietly. She held up three more pregnancy tests, letting me know that she was _positive_ about it.

I couldn't hold it in, I lifted her up and crushed my lips to hers. After a few years of trying and being told that our likelihood of getting pregnant was low, we'd simply left it up to fate. "A baby," I whispered against my wife's lips.

Bree smiled and reached up to brush a few happy tears from my cheek. "Do you think Nessie would care if we told everyone tonight?"

"God no," I hugged Bree to me more tightly, knowing that with my family this may be the last time I had her in my arms tonight. She was going to be passed around until it was time to go home again. "She's going to be so happy that some of the attention is off of her."

Bree giggled, "It's not going to get any of Dr. Cullen's attention away from her, she might as well get over that."

"I love you so much." I whispered into her hair. This felt like a dream, and I never wanted to wake up. "I am the luckiest man that ever existed."

* * *

The End

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for all of my readers who have been there with me since the beginning. I know that my posts were sporadic, but I hope that you enjoyed Edward and Bella's journey to their Happily Ever After._


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